Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Roulette!

When I first saw this brilliant idea on Rocky Mountain Woman's fabulous blog I put it straight on my list. Not only did I have home made bacon but I also knew that these would be the perfect snack for entertaining or even television watching. They are so simple to prepare and just require cutting in half and deseeding. Then you just spread some cream cheese inside and wrap each snugly with a bacon scarf. I baked them for 25 minutes and could hardly wait for them to cool.

They are I'm afraid to say utterly addictive eaten plain or even dipped in sweet chilli sauce. All I could think about was the next event or party that I could serve these at (I think it will be a bbq). And then it happened. We each had a half of a hot jalapeno that had us puffing and reaching for water. "Wow! It's jalapeno roulette!" I exclaimed and then we cautiously picked up another. Because of course, they're addictive little buggers! ;) And yes it you like things hot, I urge you to give these beauties a try!

I'm not a good person with surprises. It's the control freak part of me that doesn't quite like not knowing what is around the corner. Mr NQN has on occasion tried to surprise me. That often results in me trying to trick the answer out of him. I have on occasion used my self proclaimed psychic powers to try and glean where the surprise is. My arms go up like Detective Monk's and I look around the room at all angles trying to divine the location of the gift. He merely rolls his eyes and smirks. I dare not divine what he is thinking...

I don't mind food surprises to an extent. I recall visiting a Japanese restaurant several years ago and they had a sushi roulette where one sushi piece was replete with wasabi. I thought that it was ridiculously fun (although I did look on my piece to try and ascertain whether mine was the piece).

So tell me Dear Reader, are you a gambler? Do you like surprises? Does the idea of a surprise hot chilli scare or delight you?

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Roulette!

• 300g/10.6ozs jalapenos
• 150g/5ozs cream cheese, softened slightly til spreadable
• 8-10 rashers of bacon (streaky part), cut in half or thirds (long enough to wrap around the halved jalapeno)
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey to glaze (optional)
• toothpicks or skewers cut into smaller lengths
• sweet chilli sauce to serve (optional)

Step 1 - Preheat oven to 220C/428F. Line two baking trays (with sides) with parchment paper or foil (to catch drippings) and place a rack on top of each one.

Step 2 - Slice jalapenos in half horizontally and scoop out the seeds. I do this with gloves especially if I'm wearing contact lenses or going to touch my face. You really do not know which jalapeno of the lot is going to be hotter than another.

Step 3 - With a knife, spread some cream cheese in each hollowed out chilli and then wrap around with the bacon securing it with a toothpick. I found it easiest to flip the chilli over and pierce it from the bottom of the chilli through the join. Place face side up and bake for 20 minutes.

Step 4 (optional) - With 5 minutes to go, brush with the maple syrup or honey. Serve as is and you can use the toothpicks to pick them up or to dip into the sweet chilli sauce.