Quebec apple, cheese and bacon canapés

Portions:

Preparation:

20 minutes

Cooking:

15 minutes

These Quebec apple, cheese and bacon canapés are a winning combination of textures and flavors, perfect for your festive aperitifs, cocktail parties or receptions with friends. Easy to prepare and always impressive, they play on the contrast between the crunchy local apples, the melt-in-your-mouth texture of creamy cheese and the salty, crisp edge of bacon.

Ideally served on crostini, crackers or slices of toasted baguette, these sweet-and-sour bites showcase the versatility of Quebec apples in savory cuisine. The choice of cheese spread (plain, herb or pepper) lets you vary the flavors to suit the occasion or your preferences.

In just a few minutes, you'll have a refined, colorful and tasty amuse-bouche that will appeal to lovers of contrasts and local produce alike. A simple, local and effective recipe that showcases Quebec apples in all their freshness.

Ingredients

10 baguette croutons (dried is even better)

½ garlic and herb cheese spread

1 Spartan apple, cut into half-moon slices

5 slices bacon, halved

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1 pinch cayenne pepper

Ground pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 F.
For each crouton, spread with cheese spread, place a slice of apple, then wrap in bacon.
Mix the brown sugar with the cayenne pepper and pepper, then lightly coat the bites with the mixture.
Place canapés on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.

Tips and tricks

Choose a crispy apple such as Gala, Honeycrisp or Spartan.
Lightly toast bread or crackers to prevent softening.
Add a touch of maple syrup or honey mustard for flavor variation.
Prepare the elements in advance, but assemble at the last minute to keep the crispness.
Vegan variation: replace the bacon with toasted walnuts or slivers of smoked tempeh.

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