I want to apologize to the dozen or so of you that have been following my blog. School started and I became both busy and lazy, but I assure you that I have a January Monthly Muffin coming soon. If it's any consolation this entry is going to be a good one!
Bacon! Every non-vegetarian, non-religious Jew I know seems to be obsessed with it. What is it with cured, salty meat? I wish I could tell you. I grew up in a traditional Jewish home. We weren't strict about kashrut (or keeping kosher for you goys), but we ate what many call "kosher style". "Kosher style" is a practice many reform, conservative or traditional Jews adopt where you don't stress about getting certified kosher meat or separating your kitchen, but you also don't eat non-kosher meat such as pork or mix dairy with meat.
Because of this "kosher style" upbringing, I never really gained a taste for Porky the Pig. Yes, I have had bacon and other pork products, but as you may have read my resolution is to try or re-try such foods. As part of this quest I have bought some....
So according to the package I have 6 servings of 2 pieces of bacon each. So dear blog readers, I need your help! How should I prepare my bacon? I am happy to grab one or two simple and cheap ingredients, but otherwise want to use what I have around here. So far I think I'm going to make the following dishes:
- Just some simple fried bacon. You science types can call this a control.
- A grilled brie, caramelized onion and tomato with bacon sandwich
- A grilled cheddar, caramelized onion and tomato with bacon sandwich
- Some sort of bacon and egg traditional breakfast
- ?
- ?
Looking forward to hearing your ideas. I'll obviously be posting once or twice with the results.
P.S. If any of my readers happen to be vegetarian, I'm probably going to do tofu next month so I'll be looking for ideas then!
My twin does something she calls oven bacon, I, will ask her about it and tell you.
ReplyDeleteLaura
Oh! One of my favorite things with bacon is a nice twist on the standard 'bacon, eggs and hash' mentality a lot of people bring to the morning meal. It uses a large baked potato, a couple slices (or more) of bacon (cooked and roughly chopped), eggs, and whatever garnishes you want.
ReplyDeleteStart by laying your baked potato on its side and carefully cutting off the upper third or so, leaving you a 'boat' of potato. Hollow the majority of the meat while leaving enough to keep the shell intact and freely standing. Place aside where you can get to it. I use two thin layers of bacon, cheese, and potato here, using perhaps 3/4s of a strip worth of bacon bits and as much cheese as I want, and seasoning it with garlic, pepper and herbs before putting on the potato layer. Once you set these two layers, crack in an egg or two--careful not to break the yolk!--depending on how much room you've got left, and sprinkle the last of the bacon on top. Season if you'd like and bake at 350' for 20-25 minutes.
Also, I usually add finely diced/minced/otherwise dealt with onions and peppers to add flavor and texture as I build the bottom layers, since I happen to have it on hand ready in the fridge. Just a thought.
While this isn't where bacon is the star, it really makes this dish amazing. :) Not typically overpowering or anything, but I DO love bacon, so as a non-bacon lover, you might feel differently.
BLTS!
ReplyDeleteBacon cheddar grits!
-Deva
K some ideas. Although I have to say that if you don't like simply eating a piece of bacon, I'm not sure what you can do to it that will make you like it! Bacon is bacon is bacon. Yum-my :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway:
-Brussel sprouts roasted with olive oil, s&p, bacon chunks, a little bit of red onion (thin, so it crisps up and gets sweet)- I had something like this at bar pilar and lovvvvedddd it.
-Bacon-wrapped chicken kebobs- I think this recipe made it with a honey/apple cider vinegar/soy sauce marinade. SO GOOD!
-Bacon in salads (especially with pear and blue cheese)
-Cooking it with anything sweet- like carrots, sweet potatoes, or yams- it's so savory that it balances out all that sweetness really well
-Bacon with mussels (if you're feeling really ambitious!)
-Bacon on a plate. :)
Good luck! -Isabel
So you have to try Pig Candy. It's decadent and it's wrong, but once you taste it, you'll want to have more. Pre-heat the oven to around 350 (I found that it works better for me at 375, I think it depends on the oven). You're gonna need an amount of brown sugar-- dark brown works best because of the higher molasses content-- around a cup should do it. Put this on a plate. Open your pack of bacon-- you can use any kind, but I like thick-cut maple cured for this and just basically coat each piece in the brown sugar. You'll need a rack or a cookie sheet with parchment paper-- so that the fat can drain-- coat each piece, place them on the rack/sheet and when you're all done, put them in the oven. Takes about 12-20 mins depending, but watch it carefully as the sugar will burn. Let cool and VOILA! Let me know if you try it!
ReplyDelete