{"id":4699,"date":"2011-08-30T16:02:04","date_gmt":"2011-08-30T22:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/?p=4699"},"modified":"2011-08-30T16:02:04","modified_gmt":"2011-08-30T22:02:04","slug":"rosemary-apricot-bars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hottie-biscotti.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/30\/rosemary-apricot-bars\/","title":{"rendered":"Rosemary Apricot Bars"},"content":{"rendered":"

A while back I posted that I wanted this cookbook from Baked<\/a>. \u00a0So, I armed myself with a Barnes and Noble gift card and went out to fulfill my desire. \u00a0My plans went awry when they did not have the book in stock. \u00a0I bought the second cookbook from Baked instead, Baked Explorations.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\n<\/a>The cookbook itself is quite wonderful. \u00a0The photos are lovely and unique with a rustic appeal. \u00a0Beautiful antique plates, platters and serving dishes display the sweet offerings of this cookbook. \u00a0Wood grains, and all shades of brown dominate the color scheme with the occasional pop of color and accents of gold and silver. \u00a0The recipes are keeping with the feel of this book, which to me feels like the cooler days of autumn. \u00a0I can’t wait for it to be cool enough for me to make the whiskey pear tart! \u00a0It’s 102\u00b0 at the moment…<\/p>\n

The first recipe I tried was the Rosemary Apricot Bars. \u00a0I had one of these from the bakery when I was in Brooklyn last summer<\/a> visiting my sister. \u00a0It was such a great combination of sweet and savory, crunchy and gooey, and totally delicious. \u00a0Mine did not quite measure up to the bakery standards, but they were good. \u00a0So good that my husband asked for seconds. \u00a0This is a rare\u00a0occurrence, so I know this is a keeper recipe.<\/p>\n

I made some mistakes with these bars. \u00a0The recipe calls for a 9 inch square pan. \u00a0I used an 8 inch, which made the bottom crust a bit too thick, and the topping a bit too thick, but the filling was just right. \u00a0I skimped by 1 tablespoon on the crumb topping because that’s all I had left after the 12 tablespoons in the crust. \u00a0As a result, a lot of the topping fell off the top of the bars when I cut them. \u00a0Don’t skimp on the butter. \u00a0My timing on putting these together was also a bit off, so the apricot filling ended up getting too thick and too reduced after sitting in a warm oven for almost 2 hours. \u00a0Why? \u00a0Well…<\/p>\n

Our house is on the market, as of last week, but we hadn’t had any showings as of Sunday. \u00a0So yesterday I struggled with myself a bit. \u00a0Do I make these bars and risk a messy kitchen when someone wants to see the house at the last minute, or do I not make them and then regret it because no one came to look at the house anyway? \u00a0I made the decision to make them. \u00a0Having my house on the market shouldn’t mean sacrificing my freedom to baked goods, right?<\/p>\n

I’d made all the parts of the recipe…crust chilling in the fridge, filling cooked and ready to be pureed, crumb topping mixed and in the fridge. \u00a0Dirty dishes all over the place. \u00a0Carson wakes up from his nap. \u00a0I get a call from the realtors office that someone wants to come see the house as soon as I’m ready. \u00a0I said 30 minutes and the frenzy begins to get things put away. \u00a015 minutes later there’s a knock at the door. \u00a0The dog starts barking, so Carson starts crying, so I’m trying to keep the dog from attacking the realtor as I try to get to the door. \u00a0She apologized for being early, I asked for a few minutes to at least put my sweet guard dog in the back yard, I swept Carson up and we headed out to run an errand. \u00a0I was a sweaty mess and then realized that I was holding a baby who’s diaper was just about at its breaking point. \u00a0I was so tired.<\/p>\n

I’d stashed the cooling apricots in the oven, which was warm from the beginning of a preheat, so when I get home the apricots were a seriously sticky and overly reduced mess. \u00a0I warmed them up again with a little water and then pureed them. \u00a0It worked out ok, given the circumstances.<\/p>\n

Despite the craziness surrounding these they turned out well. \u00a0I might play around with them in a 9×13 to get a thinner crust. \u00a0I’ve learned a valuable lesson about using my kitchen and trying to sell my home. \u00a0They do not mix. \u00a0I think I will try to bake later in the evening instead of the middle of the afternoon to avoid the chaos I experienced yesterday.<\/p>\n

Rosemary Apricot Bars<\/h3>\n

Courtesy of Baked Explorations<\/em><\/p>\n

Ingredients<\/em><\/p>\n

Rosemary Short Dough<\/p>\n