apricots

Warm Apricot Cups with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Honey

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Don’t you love apricot season? These bright, tangy, velvety little guys have been in abundant supply in our CSA these past few weeks. While we love buying dried apricots for our Summer Orzo Salad (preferably sulfur-free), late spring/early summer means we get to devour them fresh. How beautiful is this color?

The Leftovers Project - Apricot Cups with Goat Cheese and Honey Balsamic

Sometimes apricots on their own can be a little too sour. Cooking them for just a few minutes seems to bring out more sugars, and the goat cheese and honey balsamic add a sweet and savory component. Try these as an appetizer or side, or throw them on the grill!

The Leftovers Project - Apricot Cups with Goat Cheese and Honey Balsamic

We enjoyed ours with toast, alongside homemade lentil burgers and sautéed green beans for a delicious and fresh summer supper.

Warm Apricot Cups with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Honey (Print here)

Ingredients

  • Olive oil
  • 3 apricots, halved and de-pitted
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic
  • 6 tablespoons goat cheese
  • 1 tablespoon roasted and salted sunflower seeds
  • 1 cup arugula

Directions

Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When it’s hot, carefully place the apricots, open side down, into the skillet. Cook for at least 5 to 7 minutes, adjusting a couple times to prevent sticking. While the apricots are cooking, whisk together the honey and balsamic. When the apricots are soft and browning, remove from heat and place them open side up on a plate. Fill each “cup” with approximately one tablespoon of goat cheese, drizzle with the honey balsamic, sprinkle with the sunflower seeds, and top with arugula.

We recommend serving immediately, with toast or fresh baguette. They make an impressive appetizer or a great side dish.

Notes

This recipe is very customize-able, and the measurements are just suggestions that can suit your preferred tastes. Cheese lover? Add some extra. Prefer pistachios? They’d taste great too. Hate arugula? Leave it off completely, or sub your favorite greens.

This recipe also scales up or down beautifully, depending on your crowd and appetite.

BBQ season and apricot season might come hand-in-hand in your region. Lucky you! Try these on the grill to wow your guests.

Summer Orzo Salad

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The Leftovers Project - Summer Orzo Salad

Does it feel like summer yet in your neck of the woods? This light, wholesome orzo salad is a great way to celebrate the season (or to kickstart it, if you’re in need). Serve alongside your BBQ, tuck into a tupperware for a picnic, bring it to a neighborhood potluck, serve at a brunch or tea, or (let’s be honest) just scoop into a big bowl for dinner on a night when it’s too hot to cook. Wherever you take it, just plan to be asked for the recipe!

The Leftovers Project - Summer Orzo Salad

Megan’s mom shared this recipe with us awhile ago, and no one can remember where it came from. It is REALLY delicious, and so easy to make. Every time we make it, we seem to tweak the proportions a little, so the measurements below represent our current favorite combination—but to be perfectly honest, we sometimes just eyeball it. Which is to say, don’t fret too much about being exact.

The Leftovers Project - Summer Orzo Salad

While we encourage you to increase or decrease to your heart’s content, however, we want to also urge you not to skip, substitute, or add anything! We tend not to be such purists, but there’s a time for everything, right? Really, though, the combination of basil, arugula, apricots, feta, pine nuts, and lemon is just too perfect. Megan even has a secret: she eats this salad pretty carefully to make sure she has a bit of each ingredient in every forkful. It’s just that magical of an ensemble. Trust us.

The Leftovers Project - Summer Orzo Salad

It’s a good idea to cook the orzo a day ahead, or at least a few hours ahead, so it has time to cool. The mixed salad itself won’t hold up too long (the greens tend to get a little sad and wilty), but it’s still pretty tasty on the next day and edible even on the second, third, or fourth. The best way to make ahead or to have leftovers is to prep all the ingredients but wait to mix them until the day you will be serving the salad.

The Leftovers Project - Summer Orzo Salad

We enjoyed ours this weekend at a little picnic in our new favorite neighborhood park. We grilled some corn and veggies from this week’s CSA, a pork chop for Joe, and a lentil burger for Megan.

Summer Orzo Salad (print here)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound orzo
  • ½ cup (¼ cup plus ¼ cup) olive oil
  • 2 generous cups fresh arugula
  • ¾ cup crumbled feta cheese
  • ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
  • ½ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
  • ¼ cup toasted pine nuts, cooled (or more)
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice (about the juice of one lemon)
  • Salt and pepper, to taste 

Directions

Cook the orzo as directed on the package. Drain and put onto a cookie sheet. To prevent sticking, drizzle it with ¼ cup of the olive oil (reserving the other ¼ cup for later), toss, spread out, and set aside to cool. If cooking the orzo ahead, store in in a closed container in the refrigerator after it has cooled completely. When you’re ready to make the salad, simply transfer the orzo to a large bowl and toss gently with the other ingredients.