Mediterranean Apricot Phyllo Bites Food

MEDITERRANEAN APRICOT PHYLLO BITES

Steps:

• Place almonds and apricots in a food processor; cover and process until finely chopped. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon butter, honey, lemon zest and extract; add almond mixture and stir until blended., Lightly brush one sheet of phyllo with remaining butter; place another sheet of phyllo on top and brush with butter. (Keep remaining phyllo covered with plastic wrap and a damp towel to prevent it from drying out.) Cut the two layered sheets into three 14x3-in. strips., Place 1-1/2 teaspoons filling in lower corner of each strip. Fold dough over filling, forming a triangle. Fold triangle up, then fold triangle over, forming another triangle. Continue folding, like a flag, until you come to the end of the strip. Brush end of dough with butter and press onto triangle to seal. Turn triangle and brush top with melted butter. Repeat., Place triangles on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

APRICOT PHYLLO NAPOLEONS

Steps:

• Drain yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve or colander set over a bowl, covered and chilled, 8 hours.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Put stack of phyllo on a work surface and cover stack with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a damp kitchen towel. Stir together butter and oil.
• Arrange 1 phyllo sheet on a large parchment-lined baking sheet, then spread with one fourth of butter mixture using a dampened pastry brush. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon granulated sugar. Top with 3 more layers in same manner as first with remaining phyllo and butter mixture and 3 teaspoons granulated sugar. Cut stack into 12 rectangles (2 lengthwise cuts, 3 crosswise) and bake in middle of oven until crisp and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack.
• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a bowl using a small sharp knife. Stir in drained yogurt, sour cream, and 1 tablespoon brown sugar.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over moderately high heat. Add apricots and sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons granulated sugar. Gently toss until apricots are warm and tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer apricots to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
• Add water and remaining teaspoon brown sugar to skillet and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, scraping up brown bits, until reduced by about half. Toss apricots in warm syrup.
• Place 1 phyllo rectangle on a plate and top with 3 apricot pieces and 1 generous tablespoon yogurt mixture. Make 2 more layers with phyllo squares, apricots, and yogurt mixture. Make 3 more napoleons in same manner.

APRICOT AND WALNUT PHYLLO CUPS

Steps:

• Special Equipment: a 12-count mini muffin pan
• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the apricots, walnuts, honey, 1 tablespoon orange zest, orange juice, and cardamom, until the apricots are in 1/4-inch pieces.
• Place a sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface. Brush the dough with melted butter. Place another sheet of dough on top and brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining dough and melted butter. Using a sharp knife, trim the pastry into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 (3-inch) square pieces. Gently press each piece of dough into the muffin pan. Spoon the apricot filling into the cups. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and let the phyllo cups cool for 10 minutes. Using a dessert spoon or a small spatula, remove the phyllo cups from the pan. Place on a rack and cool completely.
• Arrange the phyllo cups on a platter, garnish with orange zest, if using, and serve. Or, store in an airtight plastic container for up to 4 days.

APRICOT AND WALNUT PHYLLO CUPS

Steps:

• Special Equipment: a 12-count mini muffin pan
• Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees F.
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together the apricots, walnuts, honey, 1 tablespoon orange zest, orange juice, and cardamom, until the apricots are in 1/4-inch pieces.
• Place a sheet of phyllo dough on a work surface. Brush the dough with melted butter. Place another sheet of dough on top and brush with melted butter. Repeat with remaining dough and melted butter. Using a sharp knife, trim the pastry into a 12 by 9-inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 12 (3-inch) square pieces. Gently press each piece of dough into the muffin pan. Spoon the apricot filling into the cups. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until the pastry is golden. Remove from the oven and let the phyllo cups cool for 10 minutes. Using a dessert spoon or a small spatula, remove the phyllo cups from the pan. Place on a rack and cool completely.
• Arrange the phyllo cups on a platter, garnish with orange zest, if using, and serve. Or, store in an airtight plastic container for up to 4 days.

MEDITERRANEAN POLENTA CUPS

Steps:

• In a large heavy saucepan, bring water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to a gentle boil; slowly whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir with a wooden spoon for 15-20 minutes or until polenta is thickened and pulls away cleanly from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat; stir in thyme and pepper. , Spoon heaping tablespoonfuls into miniature muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Using the back of a spoon, make an indentation in the center of each. Cover and chill until set. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the tomatoes, feta cheese, basil and garlic. , Unmold polenta cups and place on an ungreased baking sheet. Top each with 1 heaping tablespoon of tomato mixture. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes or until heated through.

APRICOT-CHOCOLATE PECAN PIE BITES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil.
• Place the phyllo cups on the baking sheet. Add about 1/4 teaspoon apricot preserves to each cup, followed by 1/4 teaspoon mini chocolate chips; set aside.
• Combine pecans, brown sugar, half-and-half, honey, and rum extract in a small mixing bowl. Stir well. Distribute the pecan mixture equally among the phyllo cups.
• Bake in the preheated oven until edges start to turn golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool for about 10 minutes before serving.

WARM APPLE AND APRICOT PHYLLO PURSES

Steps:

• Soak the apricots and the raisins in the 1 cup of white wine for 2 hours
• Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the wine
• Preheat the oven to 320 degrees F
• In a large skillet, melt the butter over a medium flame
• Add the 1/4 cup of white wine
• Add the apples and the drained apricots and raisins
• Saute for 3 minutes
• Add the juice of 1/2 an orange and 1/2 of the lemon into the skillet and continue sauteeing
• Add the brown sugar, mix well with the fruit
• Sprinkle with cinnamon and remove from the flame
• In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the juice of the remaining 1 1/2 oranges
• Stir vigorously until smooth
• Put the pan of fruit back on the flame
• Slowly add the cornstarch mix to the pan, stirring continuously
• The mixture should start to thicken and caramelize
• You want it to be sticky, not runny
• Remove from the heat
• Unwrap the phyllo dough and lay out the sheets
• Cut the layered stack lengthwise and widthwise to make 4 rectangular quarter-stacks of 12 sheets each stack
• Take one rectangular sheet, brush around the edges with the melted butter
• Lay the next sheet on top, but at an angle
• Continue doing this 4 more times for a pile of 6 sheets, each sheet at an angle to the one below it
• Place a small mound of fruit in the middle
• Top the fruit with a square of chocolate
• Lift one edge toward the middle, gathering and pleating the dough as you go around the pile, pulling the edges to the middle to form a purse
• Make 8 purses this way (8 piles of 6 sheets each)
• Brush and drizzle each purse with melted butter
• Place the purses on a parchment line cookie sheet
• Bake 10 minutes
• Raise the heat to 350 degrees F, and bake another 15 minutes until the purses are golden
• Serve warm
• If you make the sheets in advance, rewarm for a few minutes in the oven to warm the fruit and melt the chocolate

APRICOT TART WITH PISTACHIOS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees. Lay 1 sheet phyllo on a parchment-lined 12-by-18-inch rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon butter and brush to coat the entire phyllo sheet.
• Top with another sheet and butter as above. Repeat with 7 more sheets, for a total of 9, buttering as you go. The final, top layer should also be buttered. (The rest of the phyllo can be wrapped and frozen for future use.)
• Dot the top sheet with jam by the teaspoon, then, using a spatula, spread the jam to cover the entire sheet, leaving a 2-inch border.
• Sprinkle a layer of half the chopped pistachios over the jam. Place the apricot wedges, skin-side down, in even rows across the surface, then sprinkle again with remaining pistachios.
• Carefully fold over the edges on all sides of the tart to make a 10-by-16-inch rectangle. Brush folded sides with butter. Sprinkle sugar generously over apricots and folded edges.
• Bake until pastry is golden and apricots begin to color, about 1 hour. Cool for 15 minutes, then cut into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature.