Bacon Grisini

We just got back last weekend from a two week trip to Ireland. We had a fabulous time visiting with my family. I haven't cooked much since then.

Yesterday we went to a party and I brought Bacon Grisini, a real crowd pleaser that my Mom makes every year for her Christmas party. Bacon Grisini only has three ingredients:

1 lb thin cut sliced bacon
Grisini breadsticks - you'll probably have to go to an italian delicatessan for these. They are about the same thickness as a pencil.
brown sugar

Prep: Preheat your over to 350 degrees. You take the pound of bacon and slice it in half. Then let it warm up to room temperature so that it is easier to work with. Break each grisini breadstick in half. Pour about two cups of brown sugar into a flat dish.

Take each half slice of bacon and rub it generously with brown sugar. Tightly wrap the bacon strip around a half breadstick. Place on a foil lined baking sheet. Make sure you use a baking sheet with sides and that the foil goes up the sides of the baking sheet. The bacon grisinis only need to be separated by about a 1/2 inch.

Bake the bacon grisinis in the oven for about 15 minutes. When you take them out of the oven you will have bacon grisinis swimming in a pool of bacon fat and melted sugar. This is the most critical step. Immediately remove the bacon grisinis to a fresh foil lined baking sheet. I use two forks to pick them up. You have to do this step before they cool, if you don't it will solidify and you'll never get your bacon grisinis off the pan.

You can allow the bacon grisinis to cool at this point and even refrigerate them for a day or two. When you are ready to serve, preheat the oven to 350 and heat the bacon grisinis for about 10-15 minutes until they are hot and crispy.

If you are serving these at a party you probably want to wait until most of your guests arrive before serving. There probably won't last very long once they are served because they will all be eaten up!