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December 3, 2008 at 1:50 am #588877
AnonymousInactiveSo, do you like your bacon crispy or soft?
I prefer my bacon crispy – EXTRA crispy!!
Everyone enjoy your artisan bacon! Cheers! :)
December 3, 2008 at 2:19 am #648570
JeraldParticipantSo, what the heck is artisan bacon? I hope someone reports back after they’ve tried it.
December 3, 2008 at 2:36 am #648571
cjboffoliParticipantHow about some bacon recipes?
Bacon Mac ‘n Cheese (from BOKA’s chef Angie Roberts)
8 ounces elbow pasta
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup julienned yellow onions
2 Tbs. AP flour
1 1/4 cups dry white wine
2/3 cup heavy cream
7 ounces Gruyere or Comté cheese, grated
1 1/3 pound of soft ripened cheese (like Mt. Tonwsend Creamery’s Seastack), rind removed and sliced
2 Tbs plus 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 Tbs. dijon mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
4 ounces crusty sourdough bread torn into 2″ pieces
1/4 cup cooked and chopped bacon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cook pasta according to package in salted water until al dente. Drain. Do not rinse. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat melt 2 Tbs of butter. Add onions and cook until golden brown. Sprinkle flour into onion-butter mixture. Cook and stir for a minute. Add wine and deglaze all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer the whole thing for a few minutes. Add cream and incorporate well. Gradually add cheeses, melting and mixing it in as you go. Stir in 2 Tbs thyme, mustard, 1/4 tsp salt, cayenne and nutmeg. Incorporate cooked pasta into the cheese mixture then pour the entire mixture into a 2 quart baking dish.
In a food processor pulse bread with the remaining 1 1/2 tsp of butter, 1 tsp thyme and 1/4 tsp salt. Mixture should resemble coarse, fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle breadcrumbs and chopped, cooked bacon over the pasta and cheese mixture. Bake until the top is browned and the cheese is bubbling (about 15 to 20 minutes)
December 3, 2008 at 2:37 am #648572
cjboffoliParticipantJerald: It is bacon made in small batches and by hand. As opposed to made on an assembly line in a massive factory.
December 3, 2008 at 3:55 am #648573
ZenguyParticipantI made some deviled eggs with bacon, took them to some friends to watch the T-day parade and they were gone in an hour. I made my normal deviled egg recipe, mash up egg yolks as much as possible, add mayonaise (if you must use Miracle Whip, please keep it to yourself) and about a teaspoon of your favorite mustard, a couple of drops of Worchestishire, a couple of drops of hot sauce and mix until creamy. I used a better bacon and garnished with a little piece on top.
December 3, 2008 at 4:06 am #648574
JoBParticipantZenguy..
can you bring those eggs to the holiday get-together?
i will understand if you don’t.. but you will be responsible for me making myself far more than i should consume:)
December 3, 2008 at 4:09 am #648575
ZenguyParticipantDone, I have been looking for something to bring.
December 3, 2008 at 4:53 am #648576
JoBParticipantOh dear… i have a real weakness for men who can cook…
and you have a good heart and can think too.
thanks Zenguy. You just made my christmas:)
December 3, 2008 at 5:29 am #648577
HunterGParticipantDecember 3, 2008 at 6:23 am #648578
missaudreyhorneParticipantDelicious bacon recipe:
BRUSSEL SPROUTS with Bacon, Mushrooms, Onions & Parmesan Cheese
My coworker told me about the combo and I just kind of winged it.
I took 3 pounds of fresh brussel sprouts, trimmed off the stem ends and cut them in half. I covered them in olive oil, salt and pepper – then I roasted them at 350 for about 25 minutes-ish. You know, until they have some brown on them?
While roasted the sprouts, I chopped up a package of thick cut bacon into smallish pieces and browned the bacon. I removed all but a few tablespoons of the bacon grease from the frying pan and then added sliced mushrooms and chopped onion and cooked them until “done”. Heh. I then put the sprouts and bacon into the pan and tossed everything together.
At this point, it is tasty, but to take it to another level put it in a baking dish and sprinkle with fresh shredded parmesan cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes.
I made this for a big Thanksgiving dinner and it flew out of the dish. People were saying that they didn’t even like brussel sprouts, but it was delicious. BACON MAKES EVERYTHING GOOD.
I’m thinking about making it for the holiday get together, you think I should??
December 3, 2008 at 6:35 am #648579
ZenguyParticipantSo at this point we have a beer (for some), deserts and charity, food, gift card and diaper drive with subtle bacon undertones?
December 3, 2008 at 6:48 am #648580
cjboffoliParticipantHunter G: Apparently, nitrates ARE used in the curing of this bacon. So your husband may want to abstain. According to Chef Dana Cree (formerly of Lampreia and Veil, currently of Molly Moons ice cream and Capitol Hill’s Poppy) who has made the bacon with Chef Claycamp in the past, the process is this: The fresh pork bellies are rubbed in a cure of brown sugar, salt and nitrates at a ratio of 40 grams per kilo of pig. The curing process takes place under refrigeration for several days. The bellies are turned and basted daily. After curing the bellies are rinsed and hung to dry overnight. The following morning the bellies are moved to a smoker at 185 degrees, absorbing applewood smoke until the internal temperature of the meat reaches 155 degrees. They are then cooled, cut and packaged in cryovac for sale.
December 3, 2008 at 3:41 pm #648581
MaxParticipantMix brown sugar, black pepper, and a bit of cayenne. Pat a thin layer on top of bacon slices, set on a broiling rack (to drain away the fat) over a baking pan. Bake at about 400 degrees until done the way you like.
December 3, 2008 at 3:44 pm #648582
JoBParticipantDecember 3, 2008 at 5:17 pm #648583
miwsParticipantAfter several days of reading the posts on all the bacon threads, a thought just occured to me.
Come the “big day”, I envision a bunch of bacon zombies droning “bacon……bacon….bacon…” as they approach, and enter Full Tilt! ;-)
Mike
December 3, 2008 at 5:20 pm #648584
JoBParticipantDecember 3, 2008 at 5:35 pm #648585
GenHillOneParticipantany more favorite bacon recipes out there? truth be told, my usual m.o. is bacon and eggs and I’m excited about trying some new things!
December 3, 2008 at 5:52 pm #648586
ZenguyParticipantOk, so here is a secret family recipe that my mother would kill me for sharing. So those of you that know my real name must protect me.
Best potatoes ever
Peel your favorite type of potato and cube them about an inch square (enough to fill a large baking pan), boil them until al dente. In a large bowl combine the potatoes, two cans cream of chicken soup, a regular size tub of sour cream, a pound of crumbled bacon, a bunch of diced scallions and a pound of cheddar cheese. Bake at three fifty for about 45 minutes until the cheese is all melted and the sides are bubbling. Let it cool for about 15 minutes before serving. This goes really well with ham.
December 3, 2008 at 5:54 pm #648587
flowerpetalMemberAll of this talk about bacon and German beer is making it difficult to work. So, I surrender. I’ll talk about bacon.
I enjoy as a party food snack a date stuffed with cheese (make mine gorgonzola) and wrapped with a short piece of bacon. Place a baking sheet of these under the broiler long enough for the bacon to sizzle and brown. See how far from the kitchen you get with a platter of these during a party. Leave your apron on, you and your guests will be back in the kitchen to make more!
December 3, 2008 at 6:47 pm #648588
cjboffoliParticipantHave all of you bacon fans tried the Vosges Chocolate bar with bacon?
They were so popular last year around this time that they were basically sold out nationwide. The saltiness and smokiness of the bacon is a nice foil for the sweetness of the chocolate.
Whenever I cook bacon I always reserve the fat and drippings. They get poured into a little container that I keep in the freezer. Whenever you need to add a little bit of savory flavor you can take out a little scoop and add it to the dish.
The bacon fat is especially handy when I’m making shrimp and creamy grits, a breakfast staple of my hometown Charleston, SC that is made with shrimp sauteed in bacon fat, onions and green peppers and then piled over coarse, stone-ground creamy grits and topped with a bit of BBQ sauce and cheddar cheese. A coastal Southern classic. Spring Hill does a take-off on shrimp and grits right here in West Seattle. It’s delicious but it isn’t really the same.
December 3, 2008 at 6:52 pm #648589
cjboffoliParticipantIf there are any grits fans out there, here’s a recipe for a BACON and cheddar version:
Grits:
1 cup stone-ground grits
(http://www.hoppinjohns.com/cgi-bin/screenbld.asp?Request=JohnsProducts)
2 cups whole milk
2 cups water
3/4 tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
Pour the milk and water into a 2 quart sauce pan. Cover and put on medium-high heat. When the mixture boils uncover the pot, add the grits and salt and reduce the heat to medium. Stir vigilantly until the grits have the consistency of thick soup and smell fragrantly of corn. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring every 3-4 minutes for about 20 minutes. The grits should thicken and fall languidly from the end of the spoon. Cook for about 15 minutes more, stirring constantly to prevent them from sticking. When the grits are fluffy and creamy, remove from heat, season with salt and pepper and add butter.
1/4 pound bacon, diced
1 3/4 cups coarsely grated cheddar cheese
Scatter the bacon in a dry skillet. Cook over medium-high heat moving the pieces around with a wooden spoon until the bacon is firm and barely crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels. Reserve the fat still in the pan. Put the grits in a large bowl. Stir in 1 1/4 cups of the cheese, the bacon and the bacon fat. Stir until the cheese melts. Transfer the mixture to a small baking dish. Scatter the remaining cheese over the top. Broil the grits (very close to the heat) for a few minutes until the cheese is nicely browned.
Serve immediately. And please extend my apologies to your cardiologist.
December 3, 2008 at 7:00 pm #648590
flowerpetalMemberChristopher, when I first started reading your method of saving bacon drippings I thought to myself “Why I’ve known about that for years!” As I read on I realized why you knew such. I moved to the NW from Beaufort, just downt the road from Charleston. Here in West Seattle we have grits on many Sunday mornings. Fried and smothered catfish on top? Chicken livers and gravy? Oysters? Bacon and okra over dinner grits? I could go on and on.
December 3, 2008 at 7:11 pm #648591
JanSParticipantI have never been to South Carolina…although I’ve been OVER it numerous times (used to work for Piedmont Airlines, when it was the best feeder carrier in the world). But I adore grits, in any form…Plain with just a little butter, salt and pepper, with bacon and cheese, with whatever you want to serve it with…and I almost never ever make it… so you’ve inspired me. Gotta have me some grits…
December 3, 2008 at 7:13 pm #648592
SueParticipantChristopher, I saw that Vosges bacon chocolate at Thriftway last year. I was very tempted, but then decided that the last thing I needed to be addicted to was a $7 candy bar. :)
When we were little and my mom made bacon, she’d then have the frying pan filled with bacon grease and would grab wonder bread and fry it up in the pan – best “toast” on earth!
December 3, 2008 at 7:19 pm #648593
cjboffoliParticipantflowerpetal: I love Beaufort. It is such a beautiful town.
JanS: You should get yourself down to the South Carolina LowCountry one of these days. It is a stunning place.
Too many people have only had the soupy, watery, Waffle House kind of grits which turns off many when they first try them. But the coarser stone-ground version, made with heaps of cream and butter, has understandably made inroads among even upscale restaurants.
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