1652. PIG'S EAR or BACON LOAF

makes four servings


12 oz. cooked bacon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup softened butter, plus 5 teaspoons for the mold
1 tablespoon mustard
1 oz. parsley
3 tablespoons peanut oil
2 pinches of salt
5 grinds of pepper
2 whole eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
2 oz. grated Gruyère

Take a loaf pan 28 cm long, 8 cm high and 7 cm wide; brush it with butter, then cut out a piece of parchment paper the size of the pan and line the inside; set aside in the refrigerator. Preheat your oven to 180/200° C. Cut the cooked pig's ears into thin strips. Wash, dry and chop the parsley.

Place the baking powder, 60 g of softened butter, mustard, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well with a wooden spoon so that the mixture is very smooth, then add the eggs and sprinkle in the flour, add the 350 g of sliced pig's ears, the chopped parsley and the grated cheese; mix well.

Put the batter into the prepared pan; bake for 45 minutes. When it is cooked, remove from the oven and turn out onto a rack. Chill lightly before serving.

Cut the loaf into slices; brown them in butter in a skillet to make them crispy. Place a slice of the loaf on each serving plate and garnish with a salad of frisée lettuce dressed with a vinaigrette well-seasoned with mustard.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Jean-Paul Lacombe, Restaurant Léon de Lyon, 1 Rue Pleney, 1st, Lyon, France