Blackberry-Apricot Sonker
A marriage of blackberries and apricots marinated in honey and wine, then capped with a golden crust, plus creamy ice cream and whipped cream—this is sonker. Hard to believe, but sonker is even better the next day. Feel free to sub other fruits.
Ingredients
Garnish
- 1 bag (6 ounce) of dried apricot halves
- ½ bottle of Riesling (we used Shelton Vineyards)
- 4 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Whipped cream and/or ice cream, optional
Berry Mix
- 4 containers (6 ounces each) of fresh blackberries
- 1 cup blackberry wine (we used Shelton Vineyards)
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 orange, zested and juiced
- 3–5 fresh apricots, medium dice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Batter
- 1 cup flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup milk
- 1 stick unsalted butter melted
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar for on top
Directions
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For the garnish, combine apricots through extract in a pan, bring to a boil and reduce to low and stew until 95% of the liquid has been reduced to a syrup. Keep covered in a refrigerator once cool.
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
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Combine all ingredients for the berry mix in a IO-inch iron skillet.
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Bring the berry mix to a boil and then turn off heat. Mix will be slightly thickened.
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Combine all dry batter ingredients, and in a separate bowl, combine all wet batter ingredients just until mixed. Mix the wet into the dry. This will resemble pancake batter viscosity. Evenly distribute batter over the berry mix.
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Place an aluminum-foil-lined sheet tray in the oven and then place the iron skillet onto the tray in the oven to bake. The sonker will eventually boil over and the foil-lined tray will keep the inside of your oven clean. Bake at 350 degrees for 25–35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out dry. About halfway through baking, sprinkle I teaspoon of granulated sugar over the batter. Bake the sonker until evenly golden brown. Rotate once during cooking. Let the sonker rest for I hour. Refrigerate any leftovers.
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To serve, portion into a serving bowl and top with I heaping tablespoon of the stewed apricots plus fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.