Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots

A quick-fix appetizer, whether for hungry party-goers or a quick snack if supper's a little slow to the table. Yes – it's bacon, wrapped just one-layer thick around a plump dried apricot which turns sweet and creamy. Because a single strip of bacon makes three (and often four) appetizers, because the fat is cooked off, Bacon-Wrapped Apricots are surprisingly low in calories. It takes three appetizers to get to 100 calories!

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BEST RECIPES!

• Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots Made the List!
• Best Recipes of 2012

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My Number One Party Tip?

Here it is. When people walk in the door, have something small and tasty waiting on the table or island or wherever people gather. It’s finger food for immediate consumption, no forks required, napkins optional.

But these bite-size bacon appetizers make up so quickly, I’m also happy to fix a small plate for two using a single slice of bacon, two bites for him, one for me. It’s a good solution to feed the famished when supper is a little slow to reach the table.

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BACON-WRAPPED DRIED APRICOTS

Hands-on time: 10 minutes
Time to table: 30 minutes

• Regular or thick-cut bacon, preferably meaty
• Dried apricots, preferably soft and fresh (see TIPS)
• Hoisin sauce

For a variety plate, more bacon-wrapped ideas, all good:
• Pineapple chunks, drained
• Chicken breast, cut in small pieces with scissors
• Fresh shrimp, peeled

Heat the oven to 400F/200C. For easy cleanup and to save your pan (yes, that’s the voice of experience talkin’), line a baking dish with foil or parchment; make sure the pan has sides so the bacon grease won’t run off.

With kitchen shears (much easier than a knife), cut bacon in thirds or fourths. Fold an apricot in half and roll bacon piece around it. Secure with a toothpick, inserting it where the bacon edges cross. (If making ahead, stop here and refrigerate for up to several hours.)

Arrange the pieces on the baking dish, seam-side down. Brush the topsides with hoisin, about a half teaspoon per bacon bite.

Bake for 20 minutes for regular bacon or about 25 minutes for thick-cut bacon until the bacon is cooked through and the apricots are soft and creamy. If needed for appearance, brush lightly again with hoisin.

Arrange on a platter and let cool briefly to serve. Best warm or at room temperature but surprisingly good stone-cold and almost candy-like after time in the refrigerator.

ALANNA’s TIPS For this appetizer to be surprising and extra-special versus just-okay-good, use fresh and plump dried apricots. Wrapped and baked in bacon, the apricots turn all soft and creamy. Dried fruit can be expensive. It should come as no surprise, think of how much fresh fruit is dried into a much-smaller package. For the best prices and turnover (read freshness) for dried fruit and nuts, I turn again and again to Trader Joe’s. St. Louisans, Global Foods in Kirkwood also carries really good dried fruit at good prices. Much bacon was consumed to “get this recipe exactly right”. We experimented with several fillings and several brush-on sauces. We fixed on a single layer of bacon because it cooked faster and of course, meant fewer calories per bite without giving up any of the real bacon essence. We fixed on apricots because of unusualness and more than anything, their sweet creaminess. We fixed on hoisin because it added a nice spicy sweetness and its color made the bacon look more palatable.

NUTRITION INFORMATION Per Bite/Per Three Bites: 32/96 Calories; 1/2g Tot Fat; 0/1g Sat Fat; 1/5mg Cholesterol; 79/238mg Sodium; 6/17g Carb; 1/2g Fiber; 5/14g Sugar; 1/3g Protein. WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS Old Points .5/2 & PointsPlus 1/2 & SmartPoints 1/5 & Freestyle 1/5 ASSUMPTIONS This assumes bacon is cooked until quite crispy so much of the bacon fat drains off and isn’t consumed.

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Seasonal Cooking: This Same Week, Across the Years

Caraway Corned Beef with Red Potatoes, Carrot Chunks, Cabbage Wedges & Cheese Sauce Baked Chicken with Herb-Roasted Potatoes Skillet Cornbread Whole Wheat Soda Bread Lemon Pudding Cake Spinach Soup with Perfect Hard-Cooked Eggs Bacon-Wrapped Dried Apricots Last-Minute Pantry Pie

This Week, Elsewhere

~ Irish Beef Stew ~
from Helen Fitzgerald's
My Weekly Column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

~ Beer-Soaked Crispy Baked Fries ~
A Veggie Venture

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More Quick-Fix Appetizer Recipes

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~ more appetizer recipes ~

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Gettin' That Bacon Fix

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~ more bacon recipes ~

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Shop Your Pantry First

(helping home cooks save money on groceries)

~ bacon recipes ~
~ apricot recipes ~

~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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