The perfect dip to add a note of sweet or a simple glaze to add flavor. Use it with sausage or meatballs for a sweet and savory pairing!
For last week’s Tapas Monday, I made Kale and Onion Polenta Crostini. For our second tapas dish, I had some chicken sausage that I planned on grilling in bite-sized pieces. Although it was garlic and cheese chicken sausage, it seemed like it would be bland when served next to the crostini. Of course, I made that decision around 6:00 on Monday night. With dinner not until 9:00 there would be time to do a little creating, but with one child to be picked up from wrestling and another from gymnastics, there wouldn’t be time to buy ingredients for a sauce.
Therefore, I began a search of the refrigerator and pantry. I didn’t want anything powerful that would overwhelm the more subtle flavors of chicken sausage, but I wanted it to add depth. I decided to rely on my typical strategy of balancing opposing flavors. So, with a savory item such as sausage, a sweet sauce seemed the perfect fit. Of course, the only fresh fruit on hand was apple, and that didn’t seem quite right. However, we had an assortment of dried fruits, including apricots. Apricot sauce on top of garlic and cheese chicken sausage seemed like the perfect mix to me.
As I made the sausage at the last minute, I simply topped the sausage slices with the sauce. However, I think that the sauce could be used as a glaze, allowing the sausage to bake or broil once coated with sauce. Regardless to how the sauce is used, it provides a hint of sweetness (and a little kick, if you use the crushed red pepper) that will round out many different meats quite nicely.
If you happen to have fresh apricots on hand, this Easy Apricot Jam is a great homemade topping for toast, biscuits, and more!
- 3 dried apricots, diced
- 1 Tb. peach schnapps
- 1 Tb. cider vinegar
- 1 Tb. water
- 1 Tb. brown sugar
- 1 tsp. honey
- salt & pepper
- crushed red pepper, optional
- Combine apricots, schnapps, vinegar, water, sugar, and honey in a small pot over medium heat.
- Bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
- Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until apricots are tender.
- Place sauce in a blender, and purée until smooth. Return to pot, season with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper as desired.
