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5. Remove the baking tray from the oven, and leave the bites on the rack to cool for a few minutes before serving. (The sugar in the fruit will have become very hot.)

BACON BASICS

Bacon is easy to cook—just be sure to ventilate your kitchen as much as possible in the process.

Allow 2 strips (1 ounce) per serving. Lay them flat, in a single layer, in a skillet or frying pan, then put it on the stove over medium heat. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, turning once or twice with tongs (and being careful not to let them burn!). When the bacon is almost as crisp as you want it, transfer it to a plate lined with paper towels, and let it sit for a few minutes to crisp further.

Let grease cool in the pan for a few minutes, and then very carefully pour it into a dry can or heatproof jar and put it in the refrigerator, where it will cool and solidify, and then discard it.

A microwave also does a very good job of cooking bacon. Lay strips flat on a plate lined with paper towels, and then place another paper towel on top. Cook on high power for 2 minutes, and then check for doneness. Cook for up to 1 more minute if necessary. (Your microwave might end up smelling like bacon, so mop it out with warm soapy water afterward and then leave it open to air out for a while.)

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GET CREATIVE

Before wrapping the fruit with the bacon, you can stuff it with a bit of cheese (goat cheese, bleu cheese, or even little sticks of Parmesan) or a single nut (an almond, a pecan, or part of a walnut half). Use a sharp knife to cut a slit in the side of the fruit, and slip in your chosen filling. Press the fruit around the filling to seal it completely, and then wrap the bacon around the fruit.

For a vegetarian alternative, simply stuff the apricots and prunes with nuts or cheese and skip the bacon—and the baking.

Serve with lime wedges to squeeze on top.

Serve 2 or 3 warm bites on top of a salad of mixed greens or baby spinach.

Make this vegan by simply stuffing the fruit with nuts and skipping the baking.

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luxury potato bites

Makes 24 bites, about 6 servings

Here’s proof that humble boiled potatoes can go totally uptown. This is the place to splurge on those expensive ingredients that you love but can afford only once in a great while and in small quantities. (We’re talking caviar, crème fraîche, pine nuts, and the like.) A little bit will go far, and your potatoes with assorted toppings will be breathtakingly beautiful, especially if you present them on a dramatic platter of salt. To do this, fill a deep platter or shallow-sided gratin or baking dish with a ¼-inch-deep layer of large-crystal salt. The potato halves will nestle into the salt and not tip over for serving. Or you can skip the salt and trim a tiny slice off the bottom of each potato half to make it sit flat.

This recipe can be vegan, depending on your choice of toppings.

12 small creamer-style potatoes (red, white, and/or yellow), about 1½ inches in diameter

Choice of toppings (see get creative, at right)

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and add enough water to cover them by a few inches. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.

2. Put a colander in the sink and drain the potatoes thoroughly, then let them cool until comfortable to handle.

3. Cut each potato in half and use a melon baller or a very small spoon to hollow out a small well in the center of each cut side. (Save the scooped-out potato to throw into a salad or soup—or just to snack on as you work.) Trim off a very thin slice from the rounded side of each half so it will stand upright—or skip this step if serving the potatoes on a platter of salt (see headnote).

4. Fill with your desired toppings and serve warm or at room temperature.

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GET CREATIVE

Fill the hollowed-out potatoes with one or more of the following:

Sour cream or crème fraîche topped with a small amount of caviar or a small piece