Crostini with Fig Mousse

First off, I'm kind of flattering myself by calling this a mousse, let's all let me dream that I am that talented in the culinary arts for a moment. Worry not, this is still a tasty treat, and one that is great for those short on time (and kitchen talent!). It's also very low on ingredients, so it's great to whip up as an appetizer for a group.

To make these crostini you will need:

8oz. cream cheese (you could also use another soft cheese like chevre or mascarpone, but I had cream cheese on hand)
1/2 cup dried figs (I used black mission figs, you can add more or less depending on your taste)
1 baguette
bacon (optional)

In a food processor, combine your cream cheese and figs into a lovely "mousse". My cream cheese was at room temperature to make the blending easier. I have a beast of a food processor, so I didn't cut up my figs at all before adding them, if you know your food processor has trouble chopping up dried fruits, you may want to precut your figs.

I like to refrigerate my fig spread overnight to let the flavors mix in, but you could go ahead and spread this right out of the food processor if you like. Just cut your baguette into thin slices, toast in your oven (I put mine in along side some bacon*) then spread your fig and cheese mousse on top and enjoy!

*I cooked my bacon (sliced thick) on a cooling rack, on top of a jelly roll pan (to collect the drippings) for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. I put my bread in on the same rack for the last 5 minutes the bacon was cooking. I made this for 2 people so I only used 2 strips of bacon and half my baguette. Now we have leftovers for another day :)

Friday Food Craft: Bacon Wrapped Dates

The husband and I didn't go out for New Years, we stayed home. Mostly because I had to work at 2am the next day, but we aren't much for going out to fancy parties either. We like chilling out at home and making delicious treats. Queue these delicious bacon wrapped dates. They are super easy with only 3 ingredients (although stuffing the dates is a little fussier than I typically get) and yummy! You can use whatever kind of cheese you like (or leave it out if you wish), add almond slivers or anything else your heart desires.

To make these beauties you will need:

Bacon strips, cut in half* (a full strip will be far too much for one date, so cut in half or ever in thirds if you think that would be sufficient)
Pitted dates
Cheese of choice**


*I went with thick sliced bacon, if you use something thinner you will be able to cut down on the cook time a little

**I used Blue Cheese, and while delicious, it was kind of a hassle to stuff the dates. I think a Manchego would have been lovely, you would just have to cut it into small "sticks" that fit into the date.

Start by partially cooking your bacon. My trick to cooking bacon is placing it on a wire cooling rack, on a cookie sheet (jelly roll pan, actually--make sure your pan has sides so the grease doesn't drip into your oven) in the oven and baking it at about 375 degrees for 30 minutes. To partially cook the bacon so I could wrap it around the dates, I only baked it for 10 minutes. I think the thicker bacon could have used more like 15, as I ended up cooking round 2 of these little guys a bit longer to crisp them up more.

Once your bacon has cooked for 10-15 minutes, take it out of the oven and let it cool so you don't burn yourself wrapping the dates.

While your bacon is cooking, stuff your dates with cheese. You can use any cheese you really like, and add almonds if you wish as well for a nice crunch.

Once your dates are stuffed and your bacon is cool enough to touch, wrap each date in a slice of bacon and stick a toothpick through it to secure it during the second baking step. Place these back on your cooling rack/cookie sheet setup and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until the desired amount of crispness is reached on your bacon.

Remove from oven and serve warm. These are a great appetizer or party food, especially since they already come on a toothpick right out of the oven. Enjoy!