Sour apricots?

[rworange]

A poster on the SF board wrote ...

I bought some green almonds at the Bowl today.

Right next to them was a box of "sour apricots." They looked like small, green, unripe apricots.

A young woman was nibbling on one of them. I asked her what they were. She said "green almonds." I pointed to the green almonds and she said, "they're the same. My family used to grow these. They are just like the green almonds."

I bought some.

They taste just what you would expect -- sour, unripe, unpleasant. The pit is soft, and is also unpleasant (but in a different way).

Any ideas on how to use "sour apricots"?

[Gio]

With a lot of sweetening. J/K.
Do you suppose they could be used as one would use kumquats?]

I just Googled and here's what I found at Cooks .com
http://www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0...

Seems there are quite a few recipes where you can use sour apricots. Personally I've never seen them in the markets

[lisaa]

I also bought some of these sour green apricots at Berkeley Bowl, brought them home, tasted them and had absolutely no idea what to do with them.

I was at Nibblers Eatery in Pleasant Hill yesterday talking with the chef/owner and he said that they are actually a staple in some middle eastern countries. He said they are meant to be eaten cooked in dishes such as tagine.

I actually took mine (before I learned this) and put them in alcohol to try and make a liqueur. I anticipate that it will fail miserably but you never know!

[cheryl_h]

I've seen these in Middle Eastern groceries too, alongside the green almonds. I wonder if you could use them like green (unripe) plums, to make tkemali?

[defencedesign]

I picked up some sour apricots at the bowl today thinking that the web would have a bunch of recipes, I could not find any, so I made one up. I poached the sour apricots in burgundy with molasses dark brown suger, and sage allowed it to cook down to a syrup and finished it with butter. I spooned a couple tablespoons over pan fried pork steak that I cooked in browned butter. It turned out well, next time I will pit the sour apricots.