Stuffed dates
Heat the oven to 350 degrees
Dried pitted dates - usually about 30 in a bag
Thin cut bacon - 1/3 slice per date
Pecan halves.
Stuff each date with a pecan half and wrap in 1/3 strip of bacon. Secure with a toothpick.
Line a sheet pan or a broiler pan with foil (easier cleanup)
a broiler pan is good because it has the grate. fIf using a sheet pan put a grate on top if you have one. Arrange the dates close to each other but not touching. cook on the center rack for 15 minutes. Turn each one and cook for another 15 minutes or until the bacon is done.
DO NOT serve hot - room temp. The sweet from the dates, the woodyness from the pecans and the salty smokyness from the bacon is an amazing combination!
Can be prepared ahead. Refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze either before or after cooking.
Jacob's Gruyere Shrimp
Jacob is my Niece's fiancee. He is a line chef at Brennan's in Houston. He has entered and won numerous cooking competitions. This recipe was a blue ribbon winner.
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Thin slice bacon - 1 strip per shrimp. Partially cooked - not crispy - limp enough to wrap the shrimp with. If the bacon is not partially cooked the shrimp will over cook waiting on the bacon.
Large (10-12 count shrimp) Peeled - tail on or off. butterflied and deveined
Gruyere cheese - cut into strips 1/4" thick and as long as the shrimp
Jalapeno - cored and seeded cut into 1/4" strips
Place the shrimp cut side up on the end of a strip of bacon. Put a sliver of cheese and jalapeno in the cut and wrap with the bacon. Secure with a toothpick
Line a sheet pan or broiler pan with foil - a rack is recommended. Arrange the shrimp close to each other but not touching.
Now plan on doing a test run for timing. A lot depends on the size of the shrimp and your oven. Do your first test at 10 minutes. The shrimp should be just done - no longer translucent but still moist and tender. If 10 minutes isn't long enough increase the cooking time by 2 minutes.
Serve hot or at room temp. The prep can be done a day in advance but not the final cooking.
Absolutely AMAZING
Your turn.
Rainbow - I love poppers. How do you do yours? I usually stuff jalapeno peppers with cream cheese - flavored is really nice - like pineapple cream cheese. I wrap in thin slice bacon and broil or grill. Pecan halves on top of the cream cheese kicks it up.
I stuff them with a mixture of cream cheese and Cheddar cheese and bread them (dip well in milk and then in flour) and then fry in oil.