Apricots are an incredibly versatile stone fruit, lending sweetness and beautiful orange tones to a range of sweet and savoury dishes. Dried apricots are available year-round, but good fresh apricots are really under-appreciated even though they lend themselves well to grilling, roasting or poaching, something Emanuele Scarello showcases in his Apricots, mint ice cream and liquorice meringue recipe.

Dried apricots also work fantastically when paired with strong meat and game flavours. Francesco Apreda shows off this combination nicely with his Tandoori duck breast with duck croquettes, apricots and pak choi dish, as does Aurora Mazzucchelli with her earthy Pigeon, cocoa beans, apricot and artichoke broth. Or if you fancy trying something rather more experimental, Angelo Sabatelli's Risotto with caciocavallo cheese, apricots, coffee and celery powder certainly fits the bill!

There's lots of room for experimentation with apricots, but when you find really ripe, fresh ones, sometimes the best dishes are the simplest. Read on for more inspiration from our collection of apricot recipes.