Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages in a Puff Pastry Blanket with Apricot-Mustard & Pomegranate-Ketchup

I love my Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages, or "pig candy" as we call them. So I knew that I would make those for our Super Bowl party, but at the last minute, I decided that I should shove those suckers into some puff pastry dough and bake them off, turning them into "gourmet pigs n' a blanket". I love that the candied sausages give them some sweetness, which means you can eat them plain without any dipping sauces. And people, don't use that boring ole' croissant dough... you gotta use the good stuff, puff pastry. It is so crisp, flakey, and fluffy. I just love the texture. It can't be beat. Now, you can't serve gourmet pigs n' a blanket with just ketchup and mustard. No no no, that will not work. So I whipped up two sauces, an Apricot-Mustard and a Pomegranate-Ketchup. I feel like you need both at your party because the world consists of two types of people: the mustard-eatin' people and the ketchup-eatin' people. I am of the ketchup-eatin' people. I'm slightly obsessed and will actually eat it plain. I know, don't hate. However, the Mountain Man is a mustard person, strictly mustard. I know, hate him. Anyway, having options for people to chose from is very important in a successful party my friends. So they can go plain or with one of the condiments. We gobbled these pigs down in about 5 minutes flat. We felt like pigs after eating them, no pun intended!! Enjoy :)

Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages in a Puff Pastry Blanket  

Gourmet Pigs n' a Blanket

Apricot-Mustard and Pomegranate-Ketchup

For the Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages:

2lb Bacon, Cut into Halves or Thirds

2 Packages of Conecuh Smoked Sausages, Cut into Bite-Size Pieces

2C Brown Sugar

2T Cajun Seasoning

2t Paprika, Dry Mustard, & Pepper

½t Garlic Salt, Cayenne, & Cinnamon

For the Sausages in a Puff Pastry Blanket:

Prepared Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages, Cooked

1 Large Egg

1T Water

AP Flour (for the work surface)

1 Box of Frozen Puff Pastry, Thawed

Sesame or Poppy Seeds, For Topping

For the Apricot-Mustard:

1C Apricot Preserves

¼C Apple Cider Vinegar

3T Coarse Grainy Mustard

For the Pomegranate-Ketchup:

1C Ketchup

¼C Pomegranate Molasses

Directions:

1. To Make the Candied Bacon Wrapped Sausages: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and cover a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with pam. Cut the bacon into halves or thirds and wrap each strip around the sausage pieces. Place the wrapped sausages onto wooden skewers. In a mixing bowl, combine the brown sugar and seasonings. Roll the bacon wrapped sausages into the sugar-seasoning mix until well coated. Arrange them onto the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with more sugar. Bake for 30 minutes until the bacon is crisp, the sausage is warm, and the brown sugar is caramelized, and then flip the sausage over, sprinkle with more brown sugar, and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the other side has caramelized as well. Let the sausages cool enough to handle and remove the toothpicks.
2. For the Sausages in a Puff Pastry Blanket: Heat the oven to 450 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, working with one sheet of puff pastry at a time, roll into a 14x11inch rectangle. Cut lengthwise into seven 1 ½inch wide strips. Cut each strip crosswise into 4 rectangles, each about 3 ½inches long. In a small bowl, beat together the egg and water, and set it aside. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Place a cooled candied bacon wrapped sausage on the narrow end of one piece of pastry. Roll to enclose, brushing with some of the beaten egg to adhere. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining sausages. Brush the tops of the puff pastry with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds.
3. Bake the sausages in a blanket until puffed & golden, about 20 minutes. Let them cool briefly before serving with the apricot-mustard and pomegranate-ketchup.
4. For the Apricot-Mustard: Combine the apricot preserves, vinegar, and mustard in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.
5. For the Pomegranate-Ketchup: In a small bowl, mix together the ketchup and pomegranate molasses until incorporated.

Jalapeno Popper Dip

Hello everyone, I hope y'all had a great Thanksgiving! I'm still stuffed, but of course I'm managing to do one last round of tailgate food today for the Iron Bowl. I will be posting a few Thanksgiving recipes in the next week so look forward to Salted Caramel Apple Pie with Vanilla Bean Pastry Crust, Zesty Cranberry-Cherry Sauce, and a Thanksgiving leftover sandwich. Anyway, today's recipe is Jalapeno Popper Dip. As I have obviously mentioned before, we love jalapeno poppers, and we will make just about anything inspired by this appetizer. Well this dip does NOT disappoint, I just love it. It's so creamy and has the best kick from the fresh jalapenos, roasted poblanos, and candied jalapenos. But my absolute favorite part is the thin layer of apricot-pineapple preserves on top of the dip. It is a sweet little surprise to balance out the heat. Also, I finish the dip with a crispy layer of buttery panko breadcrumbs that mimics the breading of a deep-fried jalapeno popper. Serve this dip warm with some chips, and just go to town... you won't regret it!! Enjoy :)

Crispy Panko Topping

Jalapeno Popper Dip

For the Dip:

2 8oz Packages of Cream Cheese, Softened

½C Mayo

½C Sour Cream

½t Garlic Salt, Cayenne, & Cajun Seasoning

4 Jalapenos, Diced

3 Poblano Peppers, Roasted & Diced

2T Candied Jalapenos, Diced (optional)

8 Slices of Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cut into Cubes & Fried until Crispy

1 8oz Block of Pepperjack Cheese, Shredded

½C Apricot-Pineapple Preserves (or Hot Pepper Jelly)

1C Panko Breadcrumbs

½C Parmesan Cheese, Freshly Grated

3T Butter, Cut into Small Cubes   

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking dish with Pam.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese, mayo, sour cream, garlic salt, and cayenne until smooth. Stir in the diced jalapenos, roasted poblano, candied jalapeno, and shredded pepperjack until well incorporated. Spoon this mixture into the prepared baking dish into a smooth layer. Spread a thin, even layer of preserves on top of the creamy dip.
3. In a small bowl, mix together the panko and Parmesan. Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the preserves. Top the breadcrumbs with the cubes of butter.
4. Bake the dip for 30 minutes until the dip is hot & bubbly. Broil the dip for a few minutes to toast the breadcrumbs to golden brown.
5. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!