I have a love of bacon. No, really. I love bacon. All salty and sweet and meaty. And that’s why I jumped at the opportunity to work with Applegate, the makers of amazing natural and organic bacon. I’ve been known to skip a real dinner and head down with my husband to the local rum distillery to order a cocktail and plate full of bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers. No joke. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen … almost often.
And at home, when we have guests, I often make little bacon appetizers. Why? Because everybody loves bacon. So I’ll take fresh jalapenos, split them down the middle and stuff them with a blend of cream cheese, cheddar cheese and garlic, before wrapping them in bacon. Other times, I remove the pits from dates, all sticky and sweet, and stuff them with an almond or a bit of blue cheese before wrapping them in bacon, too.
Bacon, you see, is my thing.
Jalapeno, Bacon and Apricot Zingers
Ingredients
- 20 dried apricots
- 20 jalapeño slices
- 7 bacon slices cut into thirds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and adjust the rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.
- Using a paring knife, cut a slice horizontally down an apricot. Cut almost but not all the way through, so that it will open like a book. Place a jalapeño slice inside the apricot, wrap the apricot in a piece of the cut bacon, secure it with a toothpick, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Using a pair of tongs, flip the zingers and bake for 10 minutes more, or until the bacon is golden brown. Serve immediately.
Sounds delist! What do you think of fresh jalapeños or pieces of roasted shishito peppers?
I’m wondering about inserting a little slab of cream cheese along with the jalapeño. Sounds delish either way! Thanks for this tasty recipe! Can’t wait to try it.
These sound yummy! My husband and I own a BBQ food truck and we do bacon wrapped jalapenos. Our mixture inside consists of cream cheese, pineapple, and our dry rub, then we slap them on the smoker. We sell about 60-100 per day. I just can’t get enough bacon.