3983. MAPLE and CANDIED BACON BLONDE BROWNIES

Makes 1–8 brownies, depending on how you cut them


2 1/4 cups blanched almond flour

1 cup (6oz) maple granulated maple sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sustainable palm shortening or ghee
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup pecans, finely chopped

3-4 pieces of bacon
About 1/3 cup maple syrup

For the candied bacon: Make the candied bacon before starting the brownies as it will need to cool down before breaking it up into tiny pieces for the topping.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

On a parchment paper lined rimmed cookie sheet, lay out the strips of bacon. You want the rim so that your bacon grease doesn’t run down into oven and start a grease fire.

Using a pastry brush, sweep a generous amount of maple syrup over each piece of bacon. You could also sprinkle maple sugar instead of using syrup, but I find that it takes less syrup and it goes on smoother and faster.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from oven and flip the bacon over. Brush the other side with maple syrup and return to the oven for another 8-10 minutes or until dark and caramel-y. Watch the bacon closely toward the end, it burns fast. Times will vary from oven-to-oven. For best results use an oven thermometer.

Remove from oven and cool.

Cut or break the bacon into small pieces. If they are too large the brownies will be difficult to cut later.

For the brownies:

Grease and line a 8×8 inch cake pan with parchment paper, leaving flaps on two sides of the pan for easy brownie removal. You don’t have to lay parchment paper both ways, just one set of flaps will suffice.

In a blender or coffee/herb grinder, pulse the maple sugar a few times to make it a finer grind.

Using a small sauce pan over medium heat, melt the palm shortening/ghee till it just becomes liquid. You don’t want it to be hot, just liquid. Remove from heat and let cool.

While the fat is cooling, combine the almond flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Now add the eggs and vanilla extract to the liquid shortening/ghee and lightly beat together.

Combine the egg/fat mixture with the almond flour mixture, mixing till combined and there are no lumps in the batter. Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and smooth the batter out as best as you can.

Sprinkle the bacon and pecan pieces evenly over the top of the batter and bake for 22-25 minutes.

When they’re finished cooking, remove the pan and allow the brownies to cool. Slice into squares.

bacon recipe source: Jenni Hulet, The Urban Poser (@TheUrbanPoser), June 21, 2013

3585. BACON QUICHE with PALEO ALMOND FLOUR CRUST

makes eight servings


For the crust
1 1/2 cups almond flour
1 egg
1 egg white

 

For the filling

7 eggs

1 cup coconut milk

6 pieces of nitrate-free bacon

1 small onion, thinly sliced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1 cup fresh spinach

3/4 cup shredded swiss

salt and pepper

 

Pre-heat oven to 375ºF. In a medium sized bowl, combine almond flour, egg, and egg white until "dough" starts to come together. Press dough into a pie pan, using the palm of your hand to reach desired thickness. Poke crust with a fork to avoid bubbles. Bake crust for about 15-20 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. While crust bakes, fry bacon in a pan until crispy. Crumble and then set aside. In the same pan, saute onions and mushrooms until onions are translucent. Add spinach and cook down slightly. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and coconut milk. Add bacon, onion, mushrooms, spinach, and swiss. Season with salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture into pre-baked pie shell. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until center is just slightly set. You want it to be slightly jiggly, but not loose. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes. Serve warm.

 

 

bacon recipe source: Melissa Herald, CupcakesOMG! (@CupcakesOhMG), June 13, 2012

3584. FIRE ROASTED BACON MEATLOAF

serves four


1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
1 lb. bacon, minced
14 ounce can of fire-roasted tomatoes
1 red onion, minced
1 bell pepper, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 eggs
1 cup almond flour
2 tablespoons oregano
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

If you have a meat grinder, use it to grind your bacon and beef together, if not mince your bacon as fine as possible and combine in a mixing bowl with your beef.

Add all remaining ingredients to the bowl, and using your hands mix well to ensure an even distribution of ingredients.

You can now form it into a loaf and put it in a pyrex dish, put it in a loaf pan, or form into meatballs and put in the pan.

Bake for an hour or until the meat is cooked through, internal temperature needs to be at least 165ºF because of the bacon.

Remove from oven and let sit for 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serve drizzled with some barbecue sauce.


bacon recipe source: George Bryant, Civilized Caveman Cooking, March 1, 2012

107. APPLE SPICE CAKE with CHEDDAR BACON CRUMBLE and MAPLE PECAN ICE CREAM

yields 8 servings


Apple filling:
8 Gala apples
½ cup sugar
2 cups cider
1 vanilla bean
2 cinnamon sticks

Cake:
2 cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 vanilla bean
1 orange zest
Pinch fresh nutmeg
Pinch of salt
5 eggs
1 Tablespoon lavender honey
7 ounces melted butter

Streusel:
9 ounces butter
1 ¾ cups brown sugar
2 ½ cups cake flour
1 cup almond flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

Pecan pralines:
1 pound pecans
½ cup water
1 ¾ cups sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon

Ice cream:
5 cups maple syrup
1 quart cream
2 quarts milk
20 yolks
½ cup trimoline

Garnish:
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 slices thick-cut bacon, roasted crisp and crumbled
Maple syrup

For apple filling: Cut the apples into a ½-inch dice and let rest unwrapped in the refrigerator overnight to partially dehydrate. The next day, combine the apples with sugar, cider, vanilla bean and cinnamon sticks and arrange in a roasting pan. Cover with foil and roast at 350°F until the apples are soft and tender but not falling apart.

For cake: In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Add the eggs and honey, and slowly add the butter to incorporate. Pour batter into a half sheet pan and let rest overnight. The following day, preheat oven to 350°F and bake until cake springs back lightly when touched, about 10 minutes. Cool completely and then cut cake into discs using a 3-inch cookie cutter.

For streusel: In an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix all ingredients together until large chunks form. Spread out streusel in a half sheet pan, cover with plastic wrap and let rest in the freezer overnight. The following day, preheat oven to 325°F and bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

For the pecan pralines: Place the pecans, water and sugar in a large pot and let mixture come to a boil, stirring occasionally. Continue to stir vigorously as water evaporates and crystals of sugar begin to form. When the crystals start to melt to caramel remove from heat, stir in the cinnamon and pour out onto a baking pan to cool. Chop pralines into bits and store in an airtight container.

For ice cream: Reduce the maple syrup by half in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepot over medium heat. Deglaze with the cream. Add the milk and bring back to a boil. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks and trimoline. Pour some of the hot cream mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to combine. Place tempered eggs into the remaining hot cream mixture, whisking constantly until mixture coast the back of a wooden spoon. Strain custard through a fine mesh strainer and chill overnight. Process in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Stir in pecan pralines into the freshly run ice cream and reserve in the freezer.

To assemble: Place a piece of cake into the bottom of a 3-inch ring mold. Top with some of the apple filling and press to remove the liquid until you have a nice, compact mold. Top with some streusel and grated cheddar cheese. Place in a 350°F oven to melt the cheese and heat through. Unmold onto a plate. Garnish each plate with a scoop of maple ice cream, a drizzle of maple syrup, and bits of crumbled bacon.


courtesy of: Chef Nicole Kaplan, Eleven Madison Park, New York, New York