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Recipe · Direct · Easy

Kamado-Grilled Apricots with Honey and Rosemary

Peak-summer apricots, halved and seared over live fire until caramelised, glazed with warm rosemary honey and served with mascarpone or vanilla ice cream. The easiest stone-fruit dessert off the kamado.

Quick answer

Kamado-grilled apricots are cooked over direct heat with the grate at 220-230°C. Halve and pit them, sear cut-side down for 2-3 minutes until caramelised, then 1-2 minutes on the skin. Glaze with warm rosemary honey and serve with mascarpone or vanilla ice cream.

Albaricoques partidos y caramelizados a la brasa, glaseados con miel al romero y servidos sobre una cucharada de mascarpone, junto a un kamado de cerámica encendido.Save to Pinterest
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Prep
15 min
Cook
10 min
Servings
4 servings
Temperature
230 °C

Ingredients

  • ripe but firm apricots8 ud
  • orange-blossom honey (or mild wildflower honey)3 cda
  • sprigs of fresh rosemary2 ud
  • melted butter20 g
  • cold mascarpone (or vanilla ice cream)250 g
  • toasted flaked almonds30 g
  • lemon (zest only)1 ud
  • flaky sea salt1 pizca

Method

  1. 01

    Stabilise the kamado

    Set the kamado up for direct cooking, no deflector, and let the grate settle around 220-230°C with the vents half open. Clean the grate and wipe it with a lightly oiled paper towel so the fruit won't stick.

  2. 02

    Prep the fruit

    Halve the apricots along their natural seam, twist the halves apart and remove the pits. Brush the cut faces with a little melted butter: it helps the sugars caramelise and gives you clean grill marks.

  3. 03

    Infuse the honey

    Put the honey, a sprig of rosemary and the lemon zest in a small cast-iron skillet on the grate. Warm for 3-4 minutes, stirring, without letting it boil, until it turns runny and fragrant. Slide it to the cooler edge to keep it warm.

  4. 04

    Sear cut-side down

    Place the apricots cut-side down directly over the coals and don't touch them for 2-3 minutes, until golden grill lines appear and the surface is caramelised. Moving them too early tears the crust that's forming.

  5. 05

    Flip and glaze

    Flip them and grill 1-2 minutes on the skin side, just to heat them through without collapsing. Brush or spoon over the warm rosemary honey and add a pinch of flaky salt on each half.

  6. 06

    Plate up

    Serve the apricots while still warm over a spoonful of cold mascarpone or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Drizzle the remaining honey, scatter the toasted almonds and garnish with the rosemary sprig if you like. Eat right away for the full hot-cold contrast.

About this recipe

Apricots are summer's most forgiving stone fruit for live fire: their acidity stands up to heat and their sugars caramelise in minutes. Halved, pitted and seared cut-side down on the kamado, they go from fruit bowl to restaurant dessert with almost no effort.

Ripeness matters more than variety.

Look for fruit that is ripe but firm — it should give slightly when pressed without feeling soft. An underripe apricot won't caramelise and stays sour; an overripe one collapses on the grate. The variety matters far less than getting the ripeness right.

Uninterrupted contact and a honey that never boils.

The key is a steady grate at 220-230°C and leaving the fruit still: the cut face needs uninterrupted contact to brown. Meanwhile a small cast-iron skillet of honey and a sprig of rosemary warms beside it, just until the resin perfumes the honey without it coming to a boil.

Serve the apricots while still warm over a spoonful of cold mascarpone or a scoop of vanilla ice cream: the hot-cold contrast, plus flaky salt over the honey, is what lifts a simple dessert into something memorable. Toasted flaked almonds add the final crunch.

In 30 seconds

Halve the apricots, run the kamado direct at 220-230°C, sear cut-side down 2-3 min and 1-2 min on the skin. Glaze with warm rosemary honey, a pinch of flaky salt, and serve with mascarpone or vanilla ice cream.

Editor's tips

  • Buy apricots that are ripe but firm. If they give too much when pressed, sear them for just 1 minute per side or they'll turn to jam on the grate.
  • Don't fidget with them as they sear: one well-browned face beats constant flipping. A hot cast-iron griddle caramelises evenly and stops small halves slipping between the bars.
  • Warm the honey, don't boil it. Past about 65-70°C the rosemary turns bitter and the honey crystallises as it cools; keep the skillet on the cooler edge of the kamado.

Gear for this recipe

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FAQ

  • What temperature do you grill apricots at on a kamado?

    Over direct heat with the grate at 220-230°C. Cut-side down for 2-3 minutes until caramelised, then 1-2 minutes on the skin side. About 5-6 minutes in total.

  • How do I stop apricots from falling apart on the grill?

    Pick ripe-but-firm fruit, don't overcook it, and use a cast-iron griddle for extra security. Very ripe apricots grill better over indirect heat.

  • Mascarpone or vanilla ice cream?

    Both work. Mascarpone is creamier and less sweet and lets the honey shine; vanilla ice cream gives the classic hot-cold contrast. Greek yoghurt works too.

  • Which honey works best with rosemary and apricot?

    A mild honey such as orange-blossom or wildflower. Very strong honeys (chestnut, heather) bury the rosemary aroma and the fruit's acidity.

  • Can I use other stone fruit?

    Yes. Peaches, nectarines, plums or flat peaches all work with the same method; adjust the time to their size and ripeness.

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