Jalapeno Shrimp Poppers

Jalapeno Shrimp PoppersI first tried these at a restaurant in Austin, Texas.  They were a jalapeno stuffed with cream cheese and a shrimp and then wrapped in bacon.  Boy were they good.  I got home and tried them out.  The cream cheese melted all over the place.  I went to Whole Foods and talked to one of their in-house chefs and all he could recommend was to freeze the cream cheese.  But, he then suggested I leave out the cheese and instead, dip them in Ranch dressing.  I loved that idea.  I've made these two different ways.  If you have guests who can't tolerate or don't like spicy foods, use only half of the jalapeno and make sure you scrape out all of the membrane and the seeds.  If using the whole jalapeno, from the tip of the jalapeno, cut a "smile" in the jalapeno until you reach the stem.  Do not cut through the steam.  Clean out membranes and seeds with a small spoon or melon baller.  For these purposes I will use the whole jalapeno.  I found that because of the "heat", most people will not eat more than 3.  Here goes:

Serves 6
18 jalapenos (size is determined by the size of shrimp but I'd use med. shrimp and med. sized 'penos
18 med. sized shrimp
9 slices bacon
Bottle of your favorite Ranch Dressing

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cut and scrap the 'penos as described above (Be sure and wear gloves! And don't rub your eyes or any other sensitive place).  Peel and devein shrimp.  Carefully tuck the shrimp into the opening on the 'peno.  Wrap the popper with the bacon half and secure with an oven proof tooth pick.  Get out some old muffin pans and place a popper in each muffin tin.  Place in oven and bake until the bacon is crisp.  Remove and drain on paper towels.  Serve warm with a bowl of the Ranch Dressing.  As far as the muffin tins, I actually saw at Williams Sonoma some bake wear which is expressly used for this dish.  I believe that is a little over kill.  These are also great grilled.  I have, on occasion, parboiled the bacon so that it crisps faster.  That, in effect, can keep the shrimp from being overcooked.  But I don't think it's necessary.  Be sure you have some nice cold beer because these poppers can be warm!