bacon-wrapped apples

so i went to the georgia aquarium over the labor day weekend, and i got up close and personal with a sea otter named cruz.  which was awesome!  this animal interaction is well worth it if you're ever in atlanta.

you may wonder why i preface a recipe with a plug for an aquarium exhibit, but i have a very good reason.

during the encounter, we were given the opportunity to stuff otter toys with raw seafood (shrimp, clams, and octopus).  sounds fishy, you say?  well, maybe.  but it was still fun.  anyway, one of the people participating in the encounter was stuffing a round, red toy.  she was commenting that it looked like an apple, and one of the otter keepers thought she said "bacon wrapped apple."  the keeper thought that sounded really weird...but also kind of delicious.  and i happen to agree.

so i decided to make a version of bacon-wrapped apples.

ingredients:
- 2 apples (i used gala)
- 1 package bacon (i used a package of butcher's cut)
- cinnamon
- honey

preparation:
the apples i used were nc gala (it is apple season in the carolinas, after all), but they happened to be fairly small.  so i quartered them and removed the core/seeds.  i wrapped the quarters in bacon, dusted them in cinnamon, drizzled a little honey on top, and secured the whole mess with toothpicks.

put parchment paper on a baking sheet, and load up the apples.  bake at 425°F for 20 minutes (or until the bacon is brown and crisped.  remove from oven and place on newspaper/paper towels to drain and cool.

verdict:
in hindsight, i should've used some bacon that wasn't nearly as thick...the butcher's cut didn't want to wrap quite as nicely, and frankly, it took a lot longer than i expected to cook.  i ended up having to zap the apples just a little longer in the microwave to finish cooking the bacon.  also, i think maybe i should've added the cinnamon and honey to the apples before applying the wrappers.

all told, i think it's an interesting combination.  i'd try it again, but i'd definitely tweak the recipe next time.