Apricot Goat Cheese Appetizer

This recipe and photos were provided by Sally Roeckell of Table and Dish and were originally published at 365Barrington.com as a part of the Heinen’s 4 P.M. Panic Series.

After a beautiful Memorial Day weekend, summer fever has returned along with the urge for eating and entertaining al fresco. We can finally enjoy the beautiful temps and sunshine on the deck or patio with friends and a chilled bottle of wine.

We are sharing a perfect patio appetizer to accompany crisp, refreshing summertime wines. Whether your preferred flavor profile is fruity & floral, crisp & zesty or spicy citrus with a sleek & juicy finish, Heinen’s has plenty of options to please your palate and their experts will help you make the perfect selection.

To complement your wine, a Grilled Apricot Goat Cheese appetizer is one of my favorites. This recipe can be thrown together in minutes and most of the ingredients are items I usually have on hand. Heinen’s always has a beautiful selection of fruits and cheeses. These bite-sized beauties are bursting with flavor and can be made with just about any small stone fruit. Try it with plums!

Apricot Goat Cheese Appetizer

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh ripe apricots cleaned and halved pit removed
• 8 oz soft goat cheese. Plain or with your favorite herbs.
• 1/4 cup dark honey*
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup pistachios roughly chopped
• Salt and Pepper to taste
  *dark honey such as buckwheat honey has a richer flavor but any honey can be substituted.

Method:

• Prepare your apricots by washing them, slicing them in half and removing the pit.
• Place butter into a hot grill pan. As the butter starts to lightly brown add the apricots cut side down. You are simply grilling the tops and caramelizing the natural sugars.
• When you see dark grill marks remove from pan and place on your serving platter grilled side up.
• Using a small scoop, place goat cheese on top of each apricot. Add salt and fresh ground pepper.
• Drizzle with honey.
• Sprinkle with chopped pistachios.