Prunes Wrapped in Bacon

This sweet and savory appetizer will delight your taste buds. The sweetness of the prune and the smokiness and saltiness of the bacon make a delicious combination. And let's not forget the meltingly soft texture of the prune and the crispiness of the grilled bacon. And the icing on the cake is the fact that the preparation of your appetizer will be wrapped up in no time.

Just a piece of advice before starting: These appetizers have to be eaten hot or warm.*

The following quantities are for 33 prunes wrapped in bacon, so feel free to adjust the quantities if you are cooking for more or fewer guests (I counted about 5 prunes wrapped in bacon per person).

You will need:

• 33 pitted ready-to-eat prunes
• 11 slices of bacon
• 33 toothpicks

Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Start by pre-heating your oven at 200 C (392 F).*

Cut the bacon slices into the right length (the right length should be one and a quarter times the diameter of the prune).

While your oven is pre-heating, prepare your appetizer by rolling each prune in a slice of bacon.

Place the prunes wrapped in bacon on a parchment paper sheet, on an oven tray.

Place the tray in the pre-heated oven and cook for about 10 minutes, then place them under the grill for about 2 minutes, or until the bacon is grilled.

Insert a toothpick into each prune.

Serve hot or warm.

Enjoy!


*Note: You can prepare your prunes wrapped in bacon per advance, leave them in the fridge, and heat them just before serving.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Ham Amuse-Bouches

Having guests over doesn't always mean you have to spend your whole day in the kitchen, or even break the bank. This amuse-bouches recipe is the perfect example of a quick, easy, and inexpensive appetizer.
This recipe is as simple as it gets: really easy and it takes only few minutes to make (and half an hour to sit in the fridge before serving).

These bite-sized appetizers, made with rolled ham filled with garlic & herbs spread, are delicious and quite light too, so it will leave room to enjoy the coming meal ...

But, let me share few tips with you before starting:

• When buying your ham, make sure the slices are one to two millimiters thick, so it doesn't tear apart when you spread the cheese.
• Get your spread out of the fridge at least half an hour before starting, so it will be smooth and soft enough to spread.

To make this recipe, you will need:

• Some ham
• Some garlic & herbs spread*
• Some foil

To calculate your quantities, you can count on making eight bites per slice of ham. Based on this assumption, the last time I made this appetizer for five people, I bought six slices of ham and a  250-gram container of garlic & herbs spread.


Place your slice of ham on a plate or cutting board ...

... and spread the garlic & herbs spread with a butter knife on the ham.

Roll your slice of ham.

Cover it completely with foil and close it.

Place in the fridge for at least half an hour.

Just before serving, remove the foil ...

... and cut your slices of ham in eight bites (don't make too small bites, because it will become messy and won't make nice bite-sized cuts).

Serve (with toothpicks) and enjoy!

*Tip: You can find this spread already made at the supermarket, by Philadelphia®, Tartare® or Boursin®, or you can make it yourself by using a plain spread, adding chopped garlic and parsley (and any other herbs you are fond of) and mix them in a blender.

As with all the other recipes we put on this site, this is meant to be easy to follow. We are hobby chefs who love to cook, and we are always up for learning new techniques. If you know of anything in this recipe which can be done a different way, whether for increased ease of preparation or better taste, please add a comment below!

Whipped by Charline Leblond