Apricot and Honey Chicken

Apricot and Honey Chicken

One of my very favorite food producers is the honey bee. In fact, my grandfather kept bees and collected honey, something I've been wanting to do for some time. Honey bees have been in real danger over the past few years and at our house we try to do our part by growing bee-friendly plants in our garden. Honey is one of the best sweeteners for many reasons, but bees also help with our delicate eco-system by pollinating many plants, not just flowers. Check out SaveHoneyBees.org for information on how you can help.

Apricot and Honey Chicken is simple and quick and a great meal for a warm evening. Pair with a very green salad for a lighter meal that still satisfies.

Apricot and Honey Chicken
Printable Recipe
Hands-On Time: 15 minutes
Ready In: 1 hour
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

5 Tablespoons honey
6 dried apricots - diced
1/3 cup apple juice
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts - about 1 pound
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Cut chicken breasts is half horizontally to form 4 thin cutlets. Sprinkle with salt and set in prepared pan.
3. Combine apple juice, honey and apricot halves together in a pan. Simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 15 minutes. Process or blend until smooth.
4. Brush apricot mixture over chicken and bake until chicken is done, about 25 minutes.

Local Flavor - Part I

I was afforded the small luxury yesterday of stopping by a local farmers' market, Elias Market at 3131 Linden St. Bethlehem (Phone: (610) 867-8111). I've driven by many times and used to shop there often when it was Pichel's Farm Market. I'm not sure why I haven't been in since it changed hands, but I made a point of turning in instead of driving by this time.

I'm very glad that I did. Elias Market (I believe it's in the same family as Elias Farm Market in Allentown) is one of those stores I'll be frequenting from now on. I was on the lookout for hazelnuts and, having had no luck finding them, I decided to check at Elias. Elias is owned by a Middle Eastern family and sells one of the largest selections of Middle Eastern foodstuffs anywhere in the Valley.

I was wide-eyed at the varieties of falafel (there's one brand at my usual store), the cans packed with stuffed grape leaves and the many, many bags of seeds, nuts and grains available. I found those hazelnuts at a very good price and dried chick peas and sesame seeds to boot. I'm not talking those small cellophane bags stapled with headers, covered in dust and overpriced - I mean large plastic bags, overfilled with fresh legumes and seeds and priced just right. I also purchased a bucket of falafel mix. I had to stop myself from overbuying since I had really only gone in with one thing in mind and had already overdone it without even canvasing a quarter of the store.

I had already picked up peaches and seedless grapes (99 cents a pound!) before I got through the doors of the store. They draw you in with all that lovely and affordable produce out front. It really isn't my fault.

Anyway, once I headed toward the checkout I caught the rest of the produce inside and had to see it. On the way to the produce, however, there were stacks of large whole wheat pitas and I had to have a package. Then I saw a basketful of beautiful tiny plums labeled simply, "Local Plums". They were gorgeous in that basket with tiny little leaves poking out of the mounds of large marble-sized fruit. I had to have them.

As I picked them out I told Katie, who was shopping with me, "We'll make a tart with these. I'll mix up a lovely almond crust and cut them in half. Then we place them upside down all over the crust and bake it. It'll be beautiful; you'll see." She just nodded her head and smiled, grabbing as many little plums as she could fit in her small hands.



When we passed the apricots, which were perfectly dainty, but still larger than the plums, she asked if we could buy some. I told her they would be perfect in that tart with the plums and she loaded up a bag with them.

Then, I saw plantains, and with everyone so enamoured with those tostones I made, I picked up 4 and then headed to the meat counter to see if I could find chorizo. They didn't have chorizo, so I asked for the next-best and often used replacement, pepperoni. There were plastic containers filled with pre-cut pepperoni, but I wanted some I could cut myself. The sweetest older man ever waited on me and instead of telling me, "That's all we have", like I would have heard at any other store, he promptly reached under the counter and pulled out two lovely and rustic looking sticks of pepperoni for me. He and the other woman behind the counter were two of the nicest workers you could ever come across.

We grabbed a seedless watermelon on our way out and I couldn't keep my eyes on my purchases - there was still so much to see there and I know for certain that I'll be back very soon.

Royal Foodie Joust Entry: Gingered Pork Wontons

This month's Royal Foodie Joust ingredients had me excited at first; and then I had too much time to think. I got to the store today and told my oldest daughter what the three ingredients were and asked her opinion on them. She drew a blank as well as I because of the butter.

You see, the three ingredients are ginger, apricots and butter. I've been baking quite a bit lately and didn't feel like a pastry was in the cards for me, so I was going a savory route. The butter ... the butter kept throwing me. Salad; no - what would I do with the butter? A steak with gingered butter; nah, not inventive enough.

So, my frustrated eldest sighed and said, "OK, pretend it's a 'Quick-Fire'." If you don't watch Top Chef, you won't know what that is. It's the short segment at the beginning of each episode where the chefs are given a quick assignment and a short time-span in which to finish. I laughed and told her that after an hour and a half of milling around Whole Foods I would be disqualified.

I feared my cries of, "I am SO in this month!" would be all for naught and I would have to sit this one out.

Then, as we walked past the wonton wrappers, instant inspiration struck and I raced off for the rest of my foodstuffs. Here, then, is the culmination of all that angsty brain work. By the way, each and every one of my kids thought these were just the best. I think they're pretty good, too.



Gingered Pork Wontons with Apricot Plum Sauce
Printable Recipe

16 ounces ground pork
1 inch peeled ginger
2 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons brewed soy sauce
2 tablespoons sliced green onion
48 wonton wrappers
oil for frying

Mince together ginger and garlic until it almost forms a paste.
Mix this with pork, soy and green onion.
Drop a teaspoonful of pork mixture on each wonton and close diagonally, sealing with a small amount of water. Fry each in hot oil until golden brown. Serve with Apricot Plum Sauce.

Apricot Plum Sauce

4 tablespoons butter
1 inch peeled ginger, cut into 4 thick slices
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced
3 black plums, pitted and diced - skin on
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro - minced

Melt butter over very low heat.
Add ginger and simmer until fragrant - about 5 minutes.
Toss in apricots and plums, stir and continue simmering until apricots are soft and fruits begin to caramelize.
Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Once cooled, puree with honey, orange juice and cilantro until smooth.
Run through a fine sieve and reheat just until warm.