5 Ingredients or Fewer

Caramelized Apricots & Lighvan Cheese Bruschetta

by:
July 19, 2016
3.8
4 Ratings
Photo by Noghlemey
  • Serves 4-6
Author Notes

Apricots or zard ālū (Persian: زردآلو) have been cultivated in Persia since antiquity, and dried ones were an important commodity on Persian trade routes. Apricots still remain an important fruit in modern day Iran, and now we're the second world producer after Turkey according to FAOSTAS. There is also a type of Apricots called Gheysi (Persian: قیسی) growing in some of the Iranian cities such as Kerman, Azerbaijan & Bardaskan. Gheysi is a very sweet and pleasent type of Apricot which I prefer to use for this recipe. (If you can not find a sweet apricot, use a little bit of brown sugar in recipe.) There are not that many different types of cheese in Iran, contrary to yogurt which comes in all different varieties. We have some few traditional cheeses which we generally call Panir. The most famous one is definitely Lighvan or Panir-e Lighvān (Persian: لیقوان‎‎) that is produced from sheep's milk and has a characteristic slightly sour flavor, tiny holes, and a good fat content. I love the sweetness of the apricots with Lighvan cheese, and then salt & pepper to balance it; you can not choose whether it is a dessert or not! It's playful. The caramelized juicy apricots and the extra virgin olive oil give the toasted bread the softness it needs for a joyful bite, and the fresh & young green beetroot break the sweetness and enhance the flavors. It's also the easiest, serve it as you wish, give it a try, warm or cold, dish. But I already know you're gonna fall in love with it! —Noghlemey

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 10 pieces fresh apricots preferably organic
  • 1 piece lime
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 dash extra virgin olive oil
  • 1-2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • whole wheat bread
  • 100 grams Lighvan cheese (or Feta)
  • 1 bunch fresh beetroot leaves
Directions
  1. Wash and dry the apricots, slice around its seam, twist it in half, and lift out the pit. Cut them in smaller pieces if you prefer.
  2. Place them in a bowl, season with salt, freshly ground black pepper, lime & extra virgin olive oil, set aside for 5 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile turn the oven or the bread toaster on. Place the breads in oven and while they're toasting prepare the apricots.
  4. Heat a pan on medium heat, add the seasoned apricots, toast them for 2 minutes or until they loosen a bit, then add the brown sugar. Turn the heat to low and let it cook and caramelize for 5 minutes.
  5. Place the toasted breads on a trey, put some lighvan cheese, some caramelized apricots then garnish with beautiful and tasty beetroot leaves. Enjoy!

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