Beer Tasting Party (Recipe for Brie & Apricot Egg Rolls)

Some of my best friends and their boyfriends were in attendance last night, so my sister and I wanted to ensure a party with delicious foods and great fun. The great fun came in the shape of an elaborate beer spread, which my sister and her business partner received for FREE from various beer distributors to sell in their store, The Bottle Shop, soon to be located at 1941 E. Passyunk Avenue in Philadelphia. So they thought, "Why not have a beer tasting party?" How could I argue? Since they were offering various types of beer, everything from Wheat Beer to Malts, we tried to create a spread that would compliment just about every type of beer.

The spread:

1. Apples doused with lemon juice to ensure color
2. Strawberries
3. Dehydrated banana slices
4. Figs
5. Apricot preserves
6. Various Crackers
7. Reduced Fat White Cheddar Cheese-Its (for my boyfriend)
8. Tostito Scoops
9. Homemade Spicy Salsa
10. Jalapeno Roasted Pepper Jelly
11. Apricot Preserve & Brie Cheese Egg Rolls (Recipe to Follow)
12. Muenster Cheese
13. Cheddar Cheese with Almond Slices
14. Port Wine Cheese
15. Grapes
16. Ferrero Rocher Chocolate Balls
17. Popcorn
18. Wine
19. And of course, Beer!

I am completely obsessed with egg roll wrappers. After realizing that just about anything could enter the egg roll galaxy for dinner treats, I had to take my ideas to the dessert world. And what is better than cheese for dessert at a wine and beer tasting party? I absolutely adore Brie cheese. I always have it out when people come over, and last night was no exception.

If you are a novice at egg roll wrapping, check out my previous post for a quick tutorial before you start. If you are a battle scarred veteran, check out my recipe below to get started.

Brie & Apricot Egg Rolls
Serving Size: 10

What You'll Need:
*10 Egg Roll Wrappers
*1 Egg Beaten
*10 Tablespoons Apricot Preserves
*1 Wedge Brie Cheese
*Pam Cooking Spray
*An Open Mind

Directions:
*After prepping the edges of the egg roll wrapper with the egg wash, add 1 tbsp. of the apricot preserves to the center
*Add a 1/4" thick x 2" long slice of Brie cheese on top of the preserves (approximate sizes)
*Fold bottom up, then sides, then roll away from you, tucking in the edges as necessary
*Place on sheet pan sprayed with Pam cooking spray
*Brush top with egg wash
*Cook for 22 minutes at 350 degrees
*Serve warm

I'm taking a sneak peek at the egg rolls while cooking. The anticipation is killing me!

Macaroni & Cheese Egg Rolls, Spaghetti & Meatball Egg Rolls, Stuffing & Cranberry Egg Rolls, Chili Egg Rolls

Yeah. The weirdest dinner I ever ate.

Watching The Neely's cooking BBQ Pork Egg Rolls on The Food Network the other day caused my brain to scatter with visions of different variations of egg rolls. What other fillings would work? With no set menu in mind, my sister and I dashed to the grocery store, wandering through the aisles, searching each shelf for an item to grab our attention.

The vegetable and side dish aisle piqued our interest, containing multiple possibilities for this endeavor. "Would Stroganoff work?" Michele shouted. "How about egg and bacon scrambles?" I yell back. Too many ideas filled our heads, causing an unneeded, time-consuming, could-have-been-cleaning-out-our-backyard-but-instead-decided-to-make-a-random-dinner-including-egg-rolls trip to the market. We decided to make four versions of this treat, including mac and cheese, chili, stuffing and cranberry and spaghetti and meatballs.

Some worked and some didn't. The spaghetti and meatballs was tasty but did not work. If you decide to create this, I suggest wrapping the mixture in two egg roll wrappers, rather than one, so the filling will stay put. The chili also almost popped open in the oven, so I suggest that you experiment with the filling to wrapper ratio. The mac and cheese and the stuffing and cranberry egg rolls were the winners in this random egg roll dinner challenge. The filling was thick enough not to seep out of the sides, creating a hearty bite throughout.


How to prepare egg roll wrappers:


*Place egg roll wrapper in diamond shape, with point facing you
*Brush edges with beaten egg
*Add Mixture as shown in image

*Fold Bottom corner up as shown in image

*Fold sides up as shown in image

*Roll away from you
*Brush with egg mixture and place on sheet pan, prepared with nonstick spray

*Bake on 350 degree for 15 minutes on each side


Mac & Cheese Egg Rolls

What You'll Need:

*1 Box Kraft Macaroni & Cheese
*Milk as listed
*Butter as listed
*1/2 Cup Breadcrumbs

Directions:
*Follow directions on Box to create, adding breadcrumbs to completed mixture.
*Add two tablespoons mixture to prepped egg roll wrappers.


Spaghetti and Meatballs Egg Rolls

What You'll Need:
*1 Can Chef Boyardee Spaghetti and Meatballs

Directions:
*Do not heat mixture. Simply add two tablespoons mixture to prepped egg roll wrappers.


Chili Egg Rolls

What You'll Need:
*1 Packet Chili Mix
*1 15 oz. Can Kidney Beans
*2 8 oz. cans tomato sauce
*2 tablespoons flour
*1 Lb. Lean Ground Beef

Directions:
*Follow directions on packet, adding flour to thicken while cooking.
*Add two tablespoons mixture to prepared egg roll wrappers.


Stuffing and Cranberry Egg Rolls

What You'll Need:
*1 Box Stuffing Mix
*1 Can Cranberry Sauce
*Additional ingredients as noted on box

Directions:
*Prepare stuffing as noted on box, mixing in roughly chopped cranberry sauce
*Add two tablespoons mixture to prepared egg roll wrappers.