Sambuk made from dried apricots – apricot cream

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 120 g apricot(s), dried
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 150 ml Madeira, Malaga or other sweet wine
• 8 carnations
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 4 egg whites
• 6 sheets of gelatin
• 200 ml sweet cream

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Rest time approx. 4 hours; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 minutes; Total time approx. 4 hours 35 minutes

old Russian dessert – Sambuk iz kuragi

Since fresh fruit was scarce in Russia in winter, dried fruit was often used for desserts. Wash the dried apricots and cut them into strips. Place them in the Malaga sauce along with the grated cloves and simmer for about fifteen minutes until the apricots have softened. Puree with a hand blender and let cool. Add the sugar and egg whites and beat with a mixer until frothy. The mixture should double or triple in size. Dissolve the previously soaked gelatine in a little hot water and slowly pour it into the apricot mixture while whisking constantly. Refrigerate until it sets. If the mixture has separated, beat it again with a mixer. Now whip the cream until stiff peaks and fold it into the apricot puree. Pour into small molds and let set in the refrigerator for a few hours. Serve upside down. The easiest way to do this is to briefly dip the molds in hot water to soften the gelatin around the edges, then turn them out immediately. Purists can also prepare the Sambuk without cream.