Drunken apricots with meringue and citrus cream recipe

What's better than dessert? Dessert that's made with gin!

With the summer here, we're ready to have garden parties outside! So why not wow your guests with this Drunken Apricots Meringue for dessert? Created by Anna Barnett for Slingsby Gin, it's the perfect mixture of fruit and alcohol, and is quite simple.

Ingredients

• 6 apricots – halved
• 1 orange – zested and juice added
• 2 generous slugs of Slingsby Marmalade Gin
• vanilla pod – halved and scraped out – all added
• 2 tbsp honey
• 5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
• several turns of black pepper
• 4 meringue nests – crumbled
• 600ml double cream
• 1-2 tsp orange blossom
• 1tsp vanilla bean paste – or use remaining half of pod
• zest of half an orange
• 2 heaped tbsp of icing sugar – or to taste
• several sprigs of mint – leaves picked
• sprig of fresh thyme

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 190 degrees Celsius
2. Place the halved apricots (facing up), orange juice and zest, Slingsby gin, vanilla, honey, thyme and black pepper in a roasting dish and mix all the ingredients together. Roast for 20-25 minutes depending on how ripe your apricots are. The riper they are the less time they’ll need in the oven. (You want them soft but not mushy!)
3. Crumble your meringue and set to one side.
4. In mixing bowl whisky your double cream until thick and until it begins to hold it’s shape. Add in the orange blossom, vanilla, zest and icing sugar, gently combining or folding through so that you don’t over whip the cream. Taste and ensure the levels of zest, vanilla and sugar are to your preference adding more of each depending on how sweet you like your desserts. (I find the meringue adds a good hit of sweetness to this dish so tend to keep the cream on the less sweet side).
5. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
6. Prepare your herbs to garnish.
7. Once your apricots are ready, spoon over the cooking liquor and allow to cool for a few minutes. Combine the meringue with the cream and add generous dollops to each of your serving bowls or plates. Next divide up your apricot halves, drizzle over the delicious cooking liquor and finish with a scattering of mint and thyme leaves. Serve straight away.

Drunken apricots with meringue and citrus cream

The apricots can be cooked in advance and served cold too.