poached apricot

1 cup dried apricots
1 cup warm water
1 1-inch piece vanilla bean, sliced in half lengthwise (I used a bit more)
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degreees. Cover the apricots with the warm water and let them stand for 15 minutes if they are already plump and soft, 30 minutes if they are hard to begin with. Drain and reserve the water.

Put the water and vanilla bean in a baking dish - an 8-inch pie plate is just right. Scrape out the seeds of the vanilla bean with the tip of a knife and break them up in the water. Add the apricots, sprinkle them with the sugar, cover with foil, and bake until the water is nearly absorbed, about 1 hour. Turn each of the apricots over in the syrup, then cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Serving Suggestions: If you can get Greek yogurt (available at Giant), the chilled apricots are delicious with it - or with any thick yogurt, or fresh ricotta. For a fancier treatment, try the apricots with Coeur a la Creme, minus the raspberry sauce. The apricots are just as tasty for breakfast as for dessert, especially with yogurt.