Apricot and Ham Stuffed Phyllo Shells

Yesterday was a momentous day in our family.   We had the pleasure of seeing our healthy little baby on an ultrasound and with that we discovered the baby’s gender.  As a result, I had the opportunity to see fear, shock and joy all present themselves simultaneously on my husband’s face at the news that another female would be joining our household.  As the day progressed the shock slightly wore off and Justin jokingly said, “But we already have enough females in this house.”  He of course was speaking to our female dogs and me.  Despite his fear of an estrogen overload, he will no doubt be a sucker for this little girl, much the way that my father was for his girls.

Today is the anniversary of my dad’s death and I only see it fitting that this wonderful news came in such proximity to what is usually a very sad day.  I also can’t help but reminisce about dad today- a brilliant, kind and wonderfully silly man who adored his family.  He was a man who never missed his kids sports events, always managed to cheer up the most ornery teenage girl (me) and set a profound example for the type of man I should marry.  There is no question that my husband and father are very similar- almost annoyingly bright, competitive to no end, talented craftsmen, consistently loyal and wonderful husbands.    I am certain Justin will be just as great as a father to this little girl as dad was to me. 

This meal, of course, has nothing to do with the above  but it was quite delicious and eased the nerves of the most anxious future father.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

- 1 LB boneless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat, cut into 2”x 2” pieces and pounded to ½” thickness

- 1 tablespoon butter

- 1 teaspoon olive oil

- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar

- ¼ teaspoon salt

- ¼ teaspoon sugar

- ¼ LB Bucheron cheese, cut into ¼” slices (can be found in most fine cheese stores)

- 1 cup spinach, roughly chopped

- 6 slices black forest ham

-  ¾ cup apricot preserves

-  2 packages Pepperidge Farm Ready Bake Phyllo Shell thawed to room temperature

Instructions:

Pre-heat oven to 400°. 

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken pieces and begin to brown.  Add the balsamic vinegar, salt and sugar.  Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and the balsamic has thickened, about 8-10 minutes total.  Remove the chicken from the heat and set aside. 

Lay the pastry shells on a buttered cookie sheet.   Transfer to the oven and cook for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and use a spoon to remove the interior circle of the phyllo puff leaving an indentation for stuffing the remaining ingredients.  Start by placing half a slice of ham at the bottom of each shell followed by a few tablespoons of chopped spinach then one piece of chicken then one tablespoon apricot preserves and topped with a few sliced of cheese.  Return to the oven and cook for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.  Cool for 5 minutes before serving.