Stuffed & Bacon-Wrapped Apricots With Spicy Maple Glaze

By loubaby • March 22, 2012 • 0 Comments

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Author Notes: Have been finessing this recipe and changing the fillings and fruits for a few years now. I believe the original source was from Gourmet magazine, but not sure, because I didn't just wake up one day and decide to stuff dried fruit with something and wrap it with bacon!!!Sometimes, for a Mexican theme, I will stuff the apricot with fresh (soft-kind) chorizo, no cheese and add ground cumin to the maple glaze. For a milder flavor, I eliminate the cayenne in the glaze but add fresh finely chopped rosemary or sage to the glaze and then stuff the dried fruit with a tangy goat cheese. Dried dates will work too, but I am not fond of them whole, as they remind me of beetles! - loubaby

Serves 8

1 pound (16 strips) quality smoked bacon
6 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
16 large dried apricots or figs, stemmed
16 pecan halves, toasted
1/4-1/3 pound sharp blue or gorgonzola cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place bacon on parchment paper-lined sided cookie sheet; bake 20 to 25 minutes until partially cooked.(you want to be able to wrap the apricots later after bacon cools and not crack.)
While bacon is cooking, combine maple syrup and cayenne and set aside for glaze. Open hole of each apricot or fig; stuff each with a pecan half and some cheese to fill generously. Wrap one strip of bacon around each pieces of fruit (so enclose the filling) and skewer with a toothpick. Place on a parchment lined sided cookie sheet ; brush with some maple syrup glaze and bake 10 minutes. Turn each piece over; brush with more maple syrup glaze and cook another 10 minutes til bacon is crisp. Serve with any remaining maple glaze or make additional for dipping.