The Apricot Bar recipe is an adaptation of an energy source used by Sherpas in the Himalayan Mountains

Apricot Bar Recipe

Chop in a food processor:

• 1 cup apricots
• 3/4 cup almonds
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• Mix fruit and nuts with:
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 2/3 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons oil

Add: Enough liquid (2 to 4 tablespoons juice) to form thick batter.

Mix well. Press into an 8-by-8-inch square greased pan. Bake 30 minutes or until firm. Cut into 12 bars but leave in the pan to cool. Later, package individually and store in a refrigerator or freezer. Makes 12 bars with 220 calories/bar.

Tsampa, long known as the Power Bar of the Himalayas, is a mixture of roasted barley and rancid yak butter. Sherpas, nomads and, wanderers alike carry a small pouch containing these two ingredients, which they squeeze into bite-size balls, and pop into their mouths throughout the day.

Judging by their legendary trekking prowess, this combo works. With rancid yak butter chronically unavailable in North America and given the generally unappealing sound of most things rancid, this recipe took the liberty of changing the formula to better suit our tastes and simply called it the Apricot Bar.

Substituting more common, yet similar ingredients, a high calorie North American rendition of the classic Tsampa Ball was created. This is a base containing similar Tsampa ingredients, with a few more yummy things thrown in to make the bar more palatable for North Americans, in addition to giving you the kick you need to get up the hill and stay warm on a winter night.

Base:

• 1 1/2 cups barley flakes - chopped in food processor till they resemble
• quick oats"(use quick oats if you can't find barley flakes)
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• Mix and press into greased 8"x 8" pan.
• Sprinkle 1 cup of coarsely chopped pecans on top of base

Caramel Sauce: Combine in saucepan:

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar

Apricot Bar recipe compliments of Marianne Abraham. Marianne Abraham has cooked for several of the finer lodges in the mountains of British Columbia and she has a new cook book in the works. Look for more recipes from Marianne in Off-Piste this season.