Warm Stuffed Apricots with Green Olives, Pecans, and Brie

June 30, 2017

Warm Stuffed Apricots with Green Olives, Pecans, and Brie Recipe | FakeFoodFree.com

When I was in Italy attending Meeta’s food photography workshop back in May, we were given the opportunity to pick from loads of gorgeous produce to take outside and photograph. And as I just mentioned – Italy. So you know everything was perfectly ripe, heirloom, and stunning. The tomatoes were the most coveted item, beautiful varieties I hadn’t seen before.

When it came time to gather our things and head outside, my Cut Throat Kitchen style grabbing skills failed me, though. The tomatoes were the first to go.

After coming in second place for those, I started to eye the olives on the table. My first thought was – these would look great with those tomatoes – but those beauties weren’t coming back any time soon. I had to get more creative. 

 

After deciding that the inviting monochromatic green hue needed a pop of color, I grabbed some orange apricots, too. 

Once outside, I couldn’t have been in a better environment for my picks. We were surrounded by olive trees and with the mid-morning sun bright, I did what I could to use the branches of the trees to create a bit of a natural filter for the light. 

 

Olives and Apricots | Photography in Italy | FakeFoodFree.com

Olives and Apricots | Photography in Italy | FakeFoodFree.com

 

I took a lot of pictures. I even accepted the offer of hand modeling as I played around with some new shots. 

 

Italian Apricots and Olives | Photography in Italy | FakeFoodFree.com

Food Photography in Italy | FakeFoodFree.com

 

When we closed out the workshop, we spent some time reviewing each others images. Some of my favorites from my weekend were the bright orange and green of the apricots and olives. During this time, it was brought up that everyone wasn’t quite sure how the two went together. 

My response – Oh, just wait. 

In my head – Challenge accepted. 

 

Apricots stuffed with green olives, pecans, brie and honey recipe | FakeFoodFree.com

 

The truth is, I’d had this on my mind since I began taking the shots of the two ingredients together. I was trying to create that story that everyone talks about when it comes to putting together food photos. I’ve never been all that great at creating those stories for my own work, but I knew I wanted to figure out a way to use the ingredients together. 

I’m a huge fan of sweet and salty so I knew the combination wouldn’t be that far-fetched. I was just a little anxious that the apricots would be long gone before I got back to my kitchen. The seasons come earlier in the Central Valley.

Fortunately, fresh apricots were still hanging around allowing me to follow through with my promise to create something out of two unexpected ingredients.

I no longer consider apricots and olives to be strangers.

 

Warm Stuffed Apricots Recipe | FakeFoodFree.com

 

I love stuffed fruits, especially when you add a strong or salty cheese and drizzle on some honey. Figs or dates with blue cheese, plums and peaches with ricotta; it doesn’t get any better than sweet and salty in one. 

 

Stuffed Apricots with green olives, pecans, and Brie recipe | FakeFoodFree.com

 

I left the salt to the olives and chopped them fine. Then I stirred in some pecans to add crunch and nutty sweetness. This went inside the halved apricots. 

I use blue cheese a lot so this time I decided to branch out with Brie and topped each half with a small piece. It ended up being the perfect swap. 

 

Warm Stuffed Apricots Recipe | FakeFoodFree.com

 

Once these are broiled just long enough to make the cheese soft and creamy and the apricots warm and tender, they are drizzled with a little honey before serving. 

 

Recipe for warm apricots stuffed with green olives, pecans, Brie and honey | FakeFoodFree.com

 

It’s sweet, salty, creamy, and crunchy in one bite. I think they are best served warm, but if you don’t want to turn on the broiler, they are also tasty without the warming. They are the best little bite of summer I’ve had so far this year. 

 

 

 

Warm Stuffed Apricots with Green Olives, Pecans, and Brie

Makes 16 bites

 

What you’ll need:

8 apricots, halved and pitted
1/2 cup pitted green olives, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped raw pecans
2 to 3 oz. Brie, cut into 16 pieces
Honey for drizzling

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to make it:

Place the top rack of the oven about 6 inches from the broiler and preheat the broiler to low.

Place the apricot halves cut-side up on a sheet pan. 

In a small bowl, stir together the olives and pecans. Spoon an equal amount onto each of the apricot halves. Top each halve with a piece of Brie.

Broil for about 4 minutes, until the cheese begins to melt and bubble. Remove from the oven, drizzle with honey, and serve. 

 

 

 

 

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  • Keith Gooderham July 1, 2017 at 1:07 pm

    So love the 7th and 8th images – fabulous colours and depth of field.

    • Lori July 3, 2017 at 8:16 am

      Thanks very much, Keith. I appreciate the comment!

  • david July 5, 2017 at 7:39 pm

    Wanted to try that. This looks delicious!

    • Lori July 5, 2017 at 8:37 pm

      Thank you!

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