Adapted from Secrets of the Tsil Cafe: A Novel with Recipes by Thomas Fox Averil, copyright 2001.

• 12 prunes, pitted
• 1/2 cup Burgundy wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 12 shrimp, uncooked
• 12 macadamia nuts
• Dijon mustard
• 6 lean bacon strips, cut in half

Pit prunes and let soak overnight in wine, bay, soy sauce, and garlic. Peel uncooked shrimp and stuff into prune with a macadamia nut and a dollop of mustard. Wrap in bacon, secure with toothpick and broil until bacon is crisp and shrimp is cooked. Let cool and eat as an appetizer.

Eat slowly. Most people tend to eat too quickly. But food, to be enjoyed, needs time, just as a relationship does. Get acquainted with this recipe, one small bite at a time.