A fresh, zesty, flavoursome dessert with a lovely sharp, sweet taste and a smooth creamy texture . The amount of sugar that you'll need completely depends on how sweet the apricots are. Taste them after you've liquidised them, and then make a decision about how much sugar you'll add to the eggs. Don't worry if it isn't enough, as you can always add some more in the final stage. We've also found that this recipe works well with plums, if you reduce the amount of sugar and omit the orange zest and juice.

500g fresh ripe apricots

1 vanilla pod, slit

3 gelatine leaves

2 egg yolks

30 - 60g caster sugar

Juice and grated zest of half an orange

180ml double cream, whipped

• Put the apricots in a pan with 100ml water, the orange zest and the vanilla pod. Poach, covered for 20 minutes until soft. Allow to cool for a few minutes then remove the stones, and remove the vanilla pod, scraping the vanilla seeds into the apricots. Liquidise the apricots until very smooth

• Put the gelatine in a bowl of cold water and soften for 10 minutes

• Meanwhile, put the egg yolks and sugar in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Whisk until very thick, pale and creamy – when you lift up the whisk it should leave a ribbon trail in the mixture. Remove from heat and continue to whisk until cool

• Drain the gelatine and squeeze out excess water. Warm the orange juice until it’s just hot. Remove from heat and stir in gelatine until it is dissolved.

• Fold the gelatine and orange juice mixture into the apricot, then fold in the egg and sugar mix. Finally fold in the whipped cream . Check for sweetness and add more sugar to taste

• Spoon into glasses or a bowl and chill in the fridge