Do you like Apricots? I love them and these Baked Apricots with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Speck are amazing! A dish with a unique flavor, bursts of savoriness and sweetness, alternating softness with crunchiness. How to classify this dish? I don’t know, that’s why I haven’t categorized the recipe. You choose whether to serve these Apricots with Gorgonzola and Speck as an appetizer or as a dessert, as an aperitif or a side dish. I’ll let you decide, as you’ll make a great impression in all four cases!
I glimpsed this recipe in an IG reel. There was definitely no speck and I’m unsure about rosemary, but as they say, when inspiration strikes the rest doesn’t matter much. So I bought the apricots, I looked for medium-large ones because they’re easier to stuff and cut in half.
I chose a Gorgonzola mixed with mascarpone that I love and discovered a few years ago. Not all supermarkets carry this product, so you can easily use just sweet Gorgonzola which is easier to find. Then I chose a seasoned IGP Speck and was finally enchanted by the freshly shelled walnuts. I also made a video recipe step by step to help you during preparation showing you all the steps of this recipe. Together, we’ll prepare the Baked Apricots with speck and walnuts.
In short, the recipe and the ingredients awaited me from the fridge section and the fruit section. The apricots are at the end of their season from late May to July, but I couldn’t resist this recipe!
Here below I’ll leave you other recipes that you can prepare using sweet Gorgonzola or walnuts, with honey and with speck. Over the years, I’ve experimented with many combinations, some discovered during travels like the Queso de Cabra from Seville, others from curiosity and the desire to try new ingredients. Imagine, I didn’t eat radicchio until a few years ago, nor Gorgonzola.
Each link below is clickable and will take you directly to the recipe you choose to read. Remember that I’m waiting for you every morning in the group and on the Facebook fan page of Le Ricette di Bea with the Recipe of the Day!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Summer
- Energy 375.60 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 19.72 (g) of which sugars 17.23 (g)
- Proteins 16.37 (g)
- Fat 26.32 (g) of which saturated 5.95 (g)of which unsaturated 5.39 (g)
- Fibers 2.65 (g)
- Sodium 660.62 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 175 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Baked Apricots with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Speck
- 15 apricots (medium-large)
- 3.5 oz gorgonzola
- 20 walnuts (shelled)
- 3.5 oz speck (thickly sliced)
- 2 tbsp honey (Acacia Honey in my case)
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 pinch salt
If you like, you can add a sprinkle of pepper.
Tools to Prepare Baked Apricots with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Speck
- 1 Cutting Board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Baking Tray
- 1 Parchment Paper
- 1 Oven
- 1 Spoon
- 2 Teaspoons
- 1 Dish Towel
Steps to Recipe Baked Apricots with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Speck
Let’s start by washing the apricots under the faucet and patting them dry with a dish towel or some kitchen paper. Turn on the oven in static mode at 350 degrees.
Place the apricots on the cutting board and gently cut them in half, removing the pit. Place a sheet of parchment paper on the baking tray and then arrange the apricots. Be careful to space them well and ensure they don’t tip over too much.
Now take the sweet gorgonzola and using two teaspoons, spread a small amount of cheese into the center of the apricots. Don’t overdo it with the gorgonzola because it will melt during cooking and drip off the apricots if you add too much, so you’ll waste it as it ends up on the parchment paper sheet.
You often ask about the parchment paper sheets you see in the video recipes and photos. To purchase them, I’ll leave the link clicking here. They are pre-cut sheets, size 13×15 which are very convenient for me. No waste of parchment paper pieces that are never enough to line the trays or cake molds.
For any doubts during preparation, I invite you to watch the video recipe which you can find on the Le Ricette di Bea YouTube Channel or in the smart version below the first photo of this article.
Now crumble the shelled walnuts with your hands and place them on top of the cheese. Don’t overdo it either, because then we’ll add the seasoned IGP speck and we need space for all these ingredients, considering that the surface of the apricots is not excessively large.
Then cut the thick slice of IGP Speck into strips and place them on top of the apricots.
Now decorate with the rosemary leaves after washing and patting them with kitchen paper. Place a few leaves here and there, obviously if you like, otherwise choose another herb from your garden or at your disposal.
And finally the sweet note: the honey! In my case, a few teaspoons of acacia honey to tie it all together. If you don’t like honey, you can replace it with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. However, don’t exceed the amount of this ingredient, especially if you serve this dish as a dessert.
If you want, you can add at this stage a sprinkle of salt and pepper, as I mentioned in the video recipe I didn’t add either of these two ingredients, not even the olive oil to be honest. I preferred the flavors to be authentic, the ones that only the used ingredients could release during the baking.
Put the tray with the apricots, speck, and walnuts in the oven and let them bake for 15 minutes with the static mode, then switch to grill top only for another 5 minutes to brown and crisp the IGP speck.
All that’s left is to serve this delicious and fragrant dish of Baked Apricots, Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Speck to your guests or family! The apricots, nice and hot, melty and tasty, are an irresistible dish, with a unique flavor, with a soft and crunchy texture at the same time, a combination that will win everyone over, I’m sure!
I can only wish you a good appetite and remind you that I’m waiting for you every morning on my cooking blog with many easy, quick, and delicious recipes like this one!!!
Storage:
You can store the Baked Apricots with Gorgonzola, Walnuts, and Speck in a container with a lid once they are completely cold, in the refrigerator for a couple of days. I don’t know how they may be after freezing, I’ve put them in the freezer a few days ago and plan to consume them soon, then I’ll update this step after trying them.
