Ingredients:

• 150 dried apricot halves (2 lb.)
• 1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
• 1 1/2 cups shelled pistachios, 1/2 of them toasted
• 1 lb. soft mild goat cheese, chilled

Preparation:

Toss apricots with juice and let stand, tossing occasionally, 20 minutes.

Chop all pistachios, preferably by hand, and season with salt. Drain apricots, cut sides up, on paper towels. Top each with a small chunk of cheese and sprinkle with nuts.

Cooks’ note: You can assemble these 1 day ahead and chill them, covered, but they can’t be stacked and will take up a lot of refrigerator space.

Makes 150 hors d’oeuvres.

From Gourmet September 1999