Ingredient: Apricot Jam

Most people have a jar of apricot jam at the back of the cupboard. Fewer realise it’s the thing that makes professional-looking bakes actually look professional.

If you’ve ever wondered how patisserie tarts get that glossy finish, it’s apricot jam, warmed and brushed on. Pastry chefs call it “apricot nappage” and it’s been standard practice for centuries. It’s also the invisible glue under the fondant on Christmas cakes and wedding cakes. Without it, the icing just slides off.

Its finest hour might be the Sacher Torte, that famous Viennese chocolate cake from 1832, which has a layer of apricot jam hidden inside and brushed across the top before the chocolate goes on. Two rival Viennese hotels spent years in a legal fight over who had the original recipe. The jam was never in dispute, though. Both sides agreed on that.

It’s brilliant in savoury cooking too. Brushed over pork or duck before roasting, it caramelises into a sticky, burnished glaze. A central European trick that works just as well on a Sunday roast.

If you’re buying a jar, look for one with a slight tartness. The really cheap ones just taste of sugar and nothing else.

Recipes with Apricot Jam…