Desert Fruits

Apricots, dates, and figs are fruits of trees dating back to the beginning of civilization. The trees are baked in the sun, maturing slowly, then gracefully produce fruits for decades. Because these are such fragile fruits, we are more accustomed to eating some of them dried rather than fresh. With recent innovations in shipping and storing, we have had to learn the fresh fruit anew. We sometimes like to serve the same fruit in all its forms-fresh, dried, and cooked. These flavors are rich.