Some dishes are just naturally jolly, and this buttery, flaky, cheesy treat certainly fits into that category. Phyllo dough, buttered and wrapped around small bites of gooey brie and a dollop of dried apricots, chopped pistachios held together with apricot preserves are baked until golden brown and crispy and served with an easy dipping sauce made of reduced apricot nectar and rum. These little treasures are just the thing to make ahead and keep frozen in the likely event that unexpected company shows up on your door this holiday season.
Kitchen Counter Point- Make sure you thaw your frozen phyllo dough in the refrigerator. If you thaw your phyllo on the counter, it tends to collect condensation inside the package which will make your dough too moist with a tendancy to tear as you pull the layers apart.
Makes 40 pieces
Dipping Sauce
1 cup apricot nectar
1/4 cup white rum
Filling
1/2 cup natural (green) pistachios , finely chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, very finely chopped
1/3 cup apricot preserves
1/4 teaspoon salt
16 phyllo sheets
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
8 ounces brie (rind removed) and cut into 40 ½-inch cubes
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
1. Cook the apricot nectar and rum in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the mixture has reduced to 1/4 cup. Remove the apricot sauce from the heat and reserve.
2. In a medium bowl, thoroughly combine the pistachios, apricots, preserves and salt.
3. Remove the phyllo from the package, unroll it onto a workspace and immediately cover it with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Cover the plastic wrap with a damp towel to weigh it down and prevent the air from drying out the pastry. You must work quickly when making the layers and recover the pastry as soon as possible.
4. Carefully remove one sheet of phyllo dough and lay it out on a work surface. Brush the sheet with the melted butter and lay a second sheet on top of the first. Brush again with the melted butter. With a pizza cutter or a sharp knife cut the phyllo into 5 3″x9″ strips. Lay 1 cheese cube, a teaspoon of apricot/pistachio mixture on the short end of each strip. Fold the phyllo over the filling to form a triangle or as you would fold a flag and continue to fold leaving a seam on the bottom of the triangle. Brush the triangle with melted butter and place it on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo and filling leaving about 1/2-inch between triangles. (The triangles may be frozen at this point and then transferred to freezer bags for storage up to 3 weeks. They may be baked off frozen. Just add a few minutes to the baking time.)
5. Bake the triangles for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Serve hot or room temperature.
6. Serve the apricot nectar/rum mixture on the side as a dip.
Make-ahead: The phyllo bites can be assembled and frozen, uncooked in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, they can be transfered to a ziplock bag and kept for up to 1 month in the freezer. Bake as directed.
