Turkish cuisine · Desserts & Sweets

Kayısı Tatlısı

A Malatya classic: dried apricots cooked in sugar syrup and filled with kaymak clotted cream and pistachios.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 300 g dried apricots
• 250 g sugar
• 500 ml water
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 200 g kaymak clotted cream
• 60 g pistachios
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Soak the dried apricots in lukewarm water for 20 min., then drain and carefully open them into a pocket along the seam without splitting them.
2. Bring sugar, water, lemon juice and vanilla to a boil in a wide pot and boil vigorously for 5 min. until a clear syrup forms.
3. Place the apricots next to each other and let simmer uncovered over the lowest heat for 15–18 min. until glossy, plump and fork-tender, but not falling apart.
4. Lift out the fruit with a slotted spoon and reduce the syrup for another 6–8 min. until it runs thick off the spoon.
5. Let the apricots and syrup cool completely, separately, and chill for at least 2 hrs. – warm, the filling would collapse.
6. Fill each apricot with a teaspoon of kaymak, sprinkle with chopped pistachios, and drizzle with the cold syrup to serve.