Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Shrimp

Name: Bacon-Wrapped Blue Cheese Shrimp
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 16 appetizers.
Ingredients: 1/4 cup butter, melted; 1 garlic clove, minced; 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce; 16 uncooked shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon pepper; 16 cubes blue cheese (1/2 inch); 16 fresh basil leaves; 8 bacon strips, halved; 1/4 cup finely chopped celery; 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese; 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Blue cheese, bacon and basil pack big flavor into a couple of bites. To save time, you can assemble the skewers the night before and then serve them hot from the broiler on the day. —Vivi Taylor, Middleburg, Florida

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter, melted
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
16 uncooked shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
16 cubes blue cheese (1/2 inch)
16 fresh basil leaves
8 bacon strips, halved
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil

Directions

Preheat broiler. Combine butter, garlic and pepper sauce. Cut a slit in each shrimp along the inside curve; flatten slightly. Sprinkle shrimp with salt and pepper. Press a cheese cube into slit. Wrap a basil leaf and bacon piece around each shrimp; secure with a toothpick.
Place shrimp on a greased rack of a broiler pan. Broil 6-8 in. from heat until shrimp turn pink and bacon is crisp, 5-6 minutes on each side, basting occasionally with butter mixture.
Arrange shrimp on a serving platter; sprinkle with celery, crumbled blue cheese and basil.