Lavender Nut Chevre Stuffed Apricots

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Stone fruit is in season and bursting with deliciousness right now! This simple and elegant recipe by Joelle Amiot of jarOhoney combines a summertime favorite (fresh apricots) with raw cashew chevre, and hints of edible lavender. A unique recipe perfect for a late Spring/early Summer picnic appetizer or savory dessert. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 14 ripe organic apricots
• 1 1/2 cups whole raw organic cashews
• 1/2 cup filtered water
• 1/2 teaspoon raw organic apple cider vinegar
• 1 medium ripe organic lemon
• 2 tablespoons fresh fine chopped organic edible lavender flowers
• 1 tablespoon fresh fine chopped organic edible lavender leaves

Instructions

1. In your food processor, fine grind the cashews to a fine powder. Add to a medium mixing bowl, stir in the water and blend well. Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

2. Stir in the vinegar and mix well, allow to rest for 15 minutes.

3. Zest and juice the lemon into the bowl and mix well, set aside.

4. Wash your apricots well. Now halve lengthwise and pit.

5. Fine dice 2 whole apricots and add this to the bowl and mix well.

6. Add half of the chopped flowers to this mix (reserve the other half for garnish) and all of the chopped leaves to the mix, blend well– this is your chevre mix.

7. Use a melon baller and scoop out a full melon ball of the apricots halves at the pit. Be sure not to pierce the outer skin.

8. Fine chop the apricot meat that you have removed and reserve these pieces for garnish.

9. Use the melon baller and scoop out a full scoop of the chevre mix and place in the hollowed out apricot halves, over fill.

10. Evenly garnish with the reserved chopped apricot pieces and reserved chopped flowers.

11. Serve and ENJOY!

Notes

A CHEF’S TIP: be sure to pick ripe organic apricots that are free from soft spots and blemishes. If they are not ripe, put them in a brown paper bag with an apple (my favorite ripening trick) and check every 12 hours for the perfect ripeness.The apple will be fine to eat after it has helped the apricots ripen! Also be sure that the lavender is the EDIBLE kind and organic, NOT ornamental!