There’s something about a salty and sweet combination that I am totally obsessed with. Throw bacon into the mix and…hello! What could be better!? This is a fairly simple appetizer recipe to prepare and is one that looks really impressive when serving. The hardest part of this dish is making the candied bacon, and basically the oven does all of that work for you. The candied bacon would be great just sat out in a dish by itself for people to munch on, and trust me, it would go quick! Can you tell I think the bacon is the star of the dish? Yum! You’re going to need a wire baking rack to make the bacon, and take my advice…don’t try to make it without one unless you want a bacon-smoke filled house. Not that I know what that is like or anything……..
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1/2 pound thick-sliced bacon
- 15 large shrimp peeled and de-veined-tail off
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 french baguette, sliced in 15 1/2 inch diagonal pieces
- 1 8 oz pkg cream cheese-room temp
- 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil (don’t skip this or you’ll have a mess) and place a wire baking rack on top.
- Combine the brown sugar, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a bowl and mix well. Add the maple syrup stir to moisten all of the crumbs.
- Cut each bacon slice in half crosswise and line up the pieces on the baking rack without touching. With a small spoon, evenly spread the pecan mixture on top of each piece of bacon, using all of the mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is very browned but not burnt or under baked.
- While the bacon is in the oven, toss your shrimp in the garlic powder and about a tsp each of salt and pepper. Saute in olive oil over medium high heat for 2 minutes on each side or until they are totally pink. Set aside to cool.
- After the bacon is removed from the oven, replace it with the baguette slices while it cools. Toast the baguette slices on a baking sheet for about 10 minutes, until crispy. Keep an eye on it though because nothing is worse than burning the bread!
- As the bread is toasting, place your softened room temperature cream cheese in a bowl and add your rosemary and salt to taste. Mix that evenly and set aside until you remove the baguette from the oven.
- Take your cooled shrimp and slice them all the way through down the back of the shrimp to make two halves. It should still look like the whole shrimp, only it covers more surface area on the crostini and is easier to eat.
- After you have removed your bread and it has cooled slightly. Spread a thin layer of the cream cheese mixture on the baguette slice and top with a piece of the candied bacon and one whole shrimp, sliced in half. You can garnish these with a bit more chopped rosemary or parsley if you wish, and enjoy!
