We love chef Daniel Patterson's description of apricots in The New York Times Sunday Magazine:

The apricot is not an instantly lovable fruit. To eat one raw is to imagine how Goldilocks must have felt: it’s usually too hard or too soft, too dry, too mealy, too tart, too flavorless. And then, every once in a while, one will be just right.

We rarely buy fresh apricots for exactly that reason. But if you do have some that are just right, Patterson offers some luscious ways to use them...

Even when the apricots are at their prime, Patterson claims the fruit is best when cooked and the flavor is concentrated. He visits with a preserve maker, June Taylor, and falls in love with her apricot butter — which sounds like a delectable alternative to jam.

There's more than just apricot butter, though. All of the recipes listed with the article look so good to us.

• Recipe: Apricot Butter
• Recipe: Apricot-Fennel Chutney
• Recipe: Wildflower-Honey-Glazed Apricots
• Recipe: Apricot-Brown-Butter Upside-Down Cake

And the full article:

• Fuzzy Logic, from The New York Times Sunday Magazine

Related: Easy Summer Dessert: Apricots with Candied Rosemary Walnuts and Cream

(Images: Erwan Frotin for The New York Times; Elizabeth Passarella)