I've only tried a couple of Newman's Own products, but I've liked them. I had a tasty roasted garlic balsamic dressing at someone's house and then when I went looking to create an appetizer, I decided to give the dried fruit a shot.
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| Mom & pop Newman on the cover. Such a sweet story of a celebrity who was in love with his wife and fully faithful. So rare. |
This next part may shock you a little. Because of all you've been taught since your overly processed youth. Prepare yourself. These are dried apricots. Yep, take a good gander. They are brown. Uncomplicated ingredient list: Dried Organic Apricots. Nothing more. That means no sulfites, sulfite free or what some might advertise as unsulfured. Absent is the use of sulfur dioxide gas during the processing. Which also means, hello, less processing.
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| They look like prunes. |
I know, you're used to bright orange apricots that look just like fresh apricots. Ironically, that's not as natural as you may think and certainly not organic. During the drying process, oxidization happens. Which makes the fruit turn a more chocolate in color. That doesn't mean something went wrong. It's real, uninterrupted nature in action! When you buy products with sulfur-containing additives that try and go against nature because you've been convinced by tons of marketing that dried apricots must be bright orange in order to be delicious, then something really has gone wrong.
On to the appetizer I made at my friend's house.
Apricot, Almond & Brie Cups
Unsulfured dried apricots (now remember what we've learned)
Raw almond slices, toasted (by you - you can do it!)
Honey
Brie
Phylo cups
No precise measurements here. I chopped up some apricots, added toasted almond slivers and a couple squidges of honey. Then mixed it all up until everything was well coated.
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| A lovely, sticky mess. |
You can make your own phylo cups, but they also sell the ready to go ones in the freezer section. Super convenient. I went with that this time to make things extra fast. I put them out on a baking sheet. Into the bottom of each pastry pocket went a piece of brie first. On top of that, I put a bit of the apricot, almond and honey mixture. Into a 350 degree oven for about five minutes or until the cheese melts and the tops of the cup turn slightly brown. Watch them closely. Because of the fragile composition of the phylo, they can burn fast.
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| Can pick it up with your hand. |
The nice thing about this recipe is that it can be tweaked six ways to Sunday (yet I made this on a Friday) by changing out the dried fruit, nut and cheese combinations. I would stick with a mild, soft cheese though. Something that melts. Fontina would work well. Munster or monterey jack too. Dried cherries would add a tart zing not unlike the apricots, so great contrast, but golden raisins or dried blueberries could kick up the sweet factor if that's your preference. Hazelnuts, walnuts or pecans would all be fine substitutes for almonds. Just make sure to lightly toast whatever nut you choose to really enrich their flavor. And agave or light maple syrup could be used if you don't like the distinct taste of honey.
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| Two bite delight. |
Phylo is so delicately flaky and when you pair it with the creamy brie, crunchy almonds and chewy apricots, it's quite a little predinner masterpiece. In fact, you won't be in a rush to move on to what comes next too quickly because these little crispy, fruity bundles will hold your attention. They are also great for a wine tasting party because you just need one hand to indulge, so you never have to put your glass down. Very tidy.
These appetizers look delicious even without sulfites. Wouldn't you agree? I surely didn't miss them. It's not like you can taste the color "orange" in an apricot anyway. The less chemicals you consume, the better off you are.
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