Sweet Rosy Apricots

At the East Van Farmers' Market yesterday, I picked up some gorgeous, rosy apricots. I'm not so much of a fan of eating fresh apricots, but I love the flavour of cooked ones. With most of the apricots, I made another one of my favourite canning projects: apricot brandy preserves. The cooking process seems to really concentrate the apricot flavour and the colour of this preserve is golden and stunning!! The nice brandy kick is pretty tasty too!

I also baked an Apricot Coffee Cake (see the picture below)

using the recipe for rhubarb ginger muffins. Just omit the ground and crystallized ginger, pour the batter into an 8" square pan. Top the batter with about 10 apricots (pitted and cut in half lengthwise), cut side down, then sprinkle with the topping. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes.