Bacon Bundles - Delectable Little Fruit and Bacon Appetizers

The easiest little bacon appetizers around - tangy fruit wrapped in salty bacon and roasted till chewy and crispy.  You'll go crazy for these! (Skip to recipe.)

Don’t you just love when you find out about a new dish that’s mouthwateringly, deliciously addictive, easy to make and is comprised of only 2 ingredients?

Last weekend we attended a party thrown by Swiss friends and were treated to a wonderful meal of barbecued meats, salads and scrumptious desserts, all so tasty we ate ’til our bellies couldn’t hold any more. However, the real star of the evening was the appetizer they served. So simple. It was nothing more than thin wedges of pears and apples, wrapped in bacon and roasted until the edges were just starting to crisp up. The luscious sweetness of the fruit was the perfect foil for the salty, smoky bacon.

Large platters of the delectable appetizers disappeared in minutes, and whoa, Nelly, when the plate circulated through the room where the teenagers were hanging out, you’d have thought a school of piranhas was having a feeding frenzy! We adults tried to be good role models and restrain ourselves, but I’m ashamed to say we weren’t totally successful, gobbling up the little bacon bundles quite greedily.

What’s not to love about anything wrapped in bacon?

If you haven’t yet got an idea of what to feed your Valentine tonight yet, whip up a quick batch of these bacon-wrapped goodies, open a bottle of bubbly and you may not even want a main course!

Our friend Karin told us these appetizers are all the rage with her family and friends in Switzerland right now. I say ‘Let the rage roll over here, too!’ Canadians love their bacon.

(And I happen to know from personal experience that a few wedges of the Apple Bacon Bundles make a mighty fine breakfast or brunch next to a couple poached eggs.)

 * * * * *

KITCHEN FRAU NOTES: Karin says that in Switzerland her family also wraps bacon around pinepple and dates. Canned pineapple works. Granny Smith apples have a nice tanginess, and other varieties have a natural sweetness. Use any combination of fruits, or just one variety, and arrange them prettily on a platter. It is guaranteed they will be devoured.

*Update: Drained canned pineapple works beautifully - spears, or rings cut in half. However fresh pineapple must be lightly roasted or pan-seared first, as the enzyme (bromelain) in fresh pineapple breaks down the bacon. I tried it and it is worth  taking the trouble to cook it first, as pineapple is delicious with the bacon.

*There are now several brands of natural-ingredient bacon available, made without chemical nitrates. They are worth searching out.

Bacon Bundles (Little Bacon Appetizers)

• Bacon – regular slices, not thick cut
• One of these fruits or any combination of them: pears, apples, fresh or canned pineapple, dates

Preheat the oven to 475°F (240°C).

Prepare the fruits by cutting them into ½ inch wedges. Pears and apples can be cut into quarters, cored, and then each quarter cut into 3 wedges, giving you 12 appetizers per fruit. Cut fresh pineapple into 2 - 3 inch long by ½ inch wide sticks, or use canned pinepple wedges or rings cut in half. Dates can be pitted and left whole if they are the small honey dates, or cut in half lengthwise if they are Medjool dates.

For the pears, apples and pineapples cut the slices of bacon in half crosswise. For the dates, cut the bacon slices into thirds.

Stretch each half-slice of bacon lengthwise as much as you can without it breaking. You want the slices as thin as possible. You don’t need to stretch the pieces you will be using for dates.

Wrap each piece of fruit in the stretched bacon so that the ends are tucked underneath the fruit pieces.  Don’t be tempted to use less than half piece of bacon for each fruit wedge, because it shrinks so much during baking that it will pop off the fruit if you skimp on the bacon.

Place the wrapped fruit wedges seam-side-down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bacon turns golden brown in a few spots and some of the fruit corners are dark and caramelized. The bacon will not be totally crispy, but rather still chewy. Dates are the exception – they can be baked for 5 to 10 minutes longer until the bacon is golden brown all over.

The delectable little bacon appetizers will be very hot coming out of the oven. Let them cool for several minutes before serving.

Yield: 1 apple or pear plus 6 slices bacon make 12 appetizers.

Guten Appetit!

 

Want to receive new Kitchen Frau recipes directly to your email? Sign up here and you’ll get a handy and useful kitchen tip along with each recipe, too. (No spam ever.)

If you like my recipes, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. You’d make my day!

 

You might also like:

Seedy Savoury Croutons

Spicy Roasted Chickpea

Flaming Guacamole

Kale Chips

Avocado with Salsa