What my Confessions are All About

As women, our lives are full of expectations. Expectations come at us from everywhere. We are supposed to be the perfect wife, mother, friend, employee, etc, but somehow, despite our best efforts, we never make it to perfection. This blog is an attempt for me illustrate some of my imperfections, hang-ups, struggles, and hardships while still realizing that I'm only human. And that's okay.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Recipe Exchange

So, at the moment, it's almost time for dinner...I've been thinking about what to write as a confession all day and have come up with nothing. So, in lieu of that, tonight you get a recipe that I made last night for the first time. I loved it! It's a Greek dessert that's not too sweet, but still good. Sorry there are no pics...I forgot until after they were gone, which was quick! And if you don't have the exact dried fruits it calls for, substitute others...apples, cherries, craisins, raisins, pears, etc.

Pyllo Purses with Dried Fruit Compote

1/4 pound dried figs (about 1/2 cup), quartered
1/4 pound dried apricots (about 1 1/2 cups) sliced
1/2 cup packed golden raisins
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup honey
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sliced almonds
4 (12x17 inch) sheets phyllo dough, thawed according to package directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. To make compote, combine figs, apricots, raisins, orange juice, water, honey, cinnamon stick, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the fruit plumps and the liquid becomes syrupy, 12-15 minutes. Remove the compote from the heat; discard the cinnaomon stick. Cool 10 minutes, then stir in the almonds.
3. Place one sheet of phyllo with the long side facing you on a work surface. Lightly spray with nonstick spray; top with a second phyllo sheet and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets to form a stack. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut the phyllo into 6 equal squares. Place 1/4 cup of the compote in the center of each square. Working one square at a time, gather the four corners of the square together to enclose the compote. Twist the gathered phyllo lightly to seal the packet and form a purse. Transfer purse to the baking sheet; repeat with the reaming phyllo, nonstick spray and compote to make 6 purses.
4. Spray the purses lightly with nonstick spray. Bake until crisp and golden, 12-15 minutes. Serve warm.

4 comments:

Melissa said...

Everything sounds yummy... except the figs. Just don't like them. But, I may have to try it without the figs... because it does sound good!!

Laurie said...

I'm not familiar with what phyllo dough is or where it is found in the stores. This looks like a great recipe. I can't wait to try it!

Misty said...

Thanks for sharing!! I'm always up for a new recipe to keep things fresh!

Holly Homemaker said...

mom2my6kids...phyllo dough is a really really thin dough that you can find in the frozen bread section. You get lots of sheets and it bakes into thin crispy layers. Usually you brush butter on between each layer, but I like the lower fat version. The dough dries out very fast (because it's so thin) so make sure to keep is covered with plastic wrap, even as you are working with it. You see it a lot in Mediterranean cooking.

Good luck with it!