With Christmas just around the corner, we are probably looking toward another different holiday. In my heart of heart, I believe that our next festive holiday, if not Easter, will be Memorial Day weekend, with backyard barbecues and parades with marching bands. I really do believe this.

In the meantime, many of us have been cooking and baking for Christmas. Perhaps dinner will be a baked ham with pineapple and brown sugar, scalloped potatoes, Brussels sprouts with bacon and, of course, pies.

My friend Jean Howard, whose son Lee is the editor of the Times papers, makes an apricot pie that should be awarded medals. She evidently made one for Thanksgiving and Lee saved a piece for me.

Jean explained that the recipe is simple, but the dried apricots are important. They must be California apricots, she explained, not the Turkish ones.

I looked up the difference. The former are dried whole, without the pits, while the California ones are halved, less sweet but have more “apricot” flavor. I found them at Trader Joe’s.

I had never made a dried fruit pie, but I have hydrated fruits for other recipes (and for braising) and love the very intense flavor that hydrating brings to food.

I also looked into other recipes and added a few fillips to Jean’s recipe. And, for me, I needed a little more sugar.

I also remembered that my friend, Rose Levy Beranbaum, also reduced fruit liquid to some pies. I also added some grated lemon and a whisper of pure almond extract. Below is Jean Howard’s recipe for one of the best recipes you will ever make.

Jean Howard’s Apricot Pie

Adapted by me and Nick Malgieri

1 pound California (or slab) apricots, cut into ½–inch dice

3 cups water

¾ cups sugar

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoon grated lemon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ teaspoon pure almond extract

1 prepared dough for a 8- to 9-inch pie

Cook apricots and water to a boil in a medium unreactive pan; bring to a boil, remove from the heat and cool for about 2 hours.

Transfer apricots and water to a bowl. Set a strainer over the saucepan in which the apricots soaked and drain the apricots well, letting the liquid fall back into then pan

Combine sugar and flour and whisk the mixture into the apricot liquid. Place pan on low heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a low boil. Stir in zest, butter and almond extract. Pour liquid over apricots and allow to cool.

When ready to assemble and bake the pie, set a rack on the lowest level in the oven and preheat to 375.

Roll the dough around the pie pan, saving some for some lattice, if you like. Put the pie in the oven and decrease the temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until filling is simmering, about 45 minutes.

Cook’s Tip: Seems like everyone is using a prepared dough these days, but if you would like my recipe, which my late friend, Deb Jensen, gave me, write me at leeawhite@aol.com.

On the Side

What do you do with one leftover cheeseburger, grilled on a good bun, which no one wanted?

Hungry and sick to death of my own food (yes, it does happen, more often than I admit), I preheated the oven to 350 and put the foiled package into the oven. After five minutes or so, I opened the package and gave it another five minutes. Holy mackerel, it was delicious.

How to do this again? The original burger should have been much closer to medium rare and the bun should be better than the soft, cheap bun. I think it would work with a hot dog, too.

The message here: if it was yummy the first time, it might be not bad the second time, too.

Lee White lives in Groton.