3509. FRESH GRILLED CORNBREAD with BACON-BLACKBERRY COMPOTE

olive oil 
3-4 ears corn (shucked) 
1 1/4 cups buttermilk 
3 eggs 
1/2 cup maple syrup 
2 cups cornmeal 
1 cup all purpose flour 
4 teaspoon baking powder 
pinch salt 
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter (cut in 1/2-inch cubes) 
6 slices bacon 

Blackberry compote 
1 pint fresh blackberries 
4 tablespoons honey 
Zest of 1 lemon 
1/2 cup water (plus more if needed) 

Preheat oven to 375°F. 

Preheat grill to medium-high. Brush the corn with olive oil and grill for 2-3 minutes per side, until corn is lightly charred in places. 

Stand the corn and carefully cut off the kernels, reserving the kernels and any liquid. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, eggs, and maple syrup. In a large food processor, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt, pulsing a few times to mix. Add the butter and corn kernels and pulse until corn and butter are coarsely chopped. Stir this dry mixture into the wet mixture and transfer to a lightly oiled 9x9 baking dish. 

Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, until golden and a cake tester comes out clean. Rest 20 minutes before cutting. 

Meanwhile, arrange the bacon on a wire rack lined baking sheet. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until crispy. Once cooled, crumble into small bits. 

If desired, warm the slices of cornbread on the grill. Drizzle compote over cornbread and garnish with crumbled bacon. 

For the blackberry compote: Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepot, and bring to a boil. Simmer 10 minutes, just until blackberries begin to break down slightly.


bacon recipe source: Daphne Oz, The Chew, ABC-TV
 

2777. BLACKBERRY APPLE COBBLER with BACON-SAGE CRUST

yields twelve servings


2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries, stems removed
8 apples peeled, cored, cut into wedges
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
freshly grated zest of 1/2 lemon
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
scant 1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 egg 
1/3 cup milk
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into 1/2″ pieces
2 fresh sage leaves, chopped very finely, or 1/4 teaspoon ground dried sage

Preheat oven to 425. Butter a 9 x 13 inch baking pan and set aside. Combine berries, apples, 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest in the prepared pan. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder and 1 tablespoon of the sugar.  Work in the butter with a pastry blender or your fingertips. Lightly beat the egg and milk together, and slowly but firmly (you don’t want too many strokes) stir into the flour mixture. Stir in the chopped bacon and sage. Knead lightly, sprinkling on a bit more flour as necessary to form a smooth dough. Break off portions of the dough and place them on top of the fruit in the pan, pressing and spreading the dough as you go. Cover the entire surface. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the dough and bake until well browned, 35-45 minutes. Serve immediately, with ice cream of course.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Cheryl Herrick, CrankyCakes, September 12, 2009 | adapted from The New Basics Cookbook by Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins

2637. BACON-BLUEBERRY CORNBREAD with BLACKBERRY BUTTER

yields ten servings


Blackberry Butter 
1 package (6 ounces or 1 1/3 cup) blackberries

½ cups granulated sugar

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, well softened

Blueberry-Bacon Cornbread 
3 slices center-cut, reduced-sodium bacon

1 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground

¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, divided

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoons salt

1 package (6 ounces or 1 ¼ cup) blueberries

2/3 cups 1% low-fat milk

1 large egg

2 tablespoons canola oil

Blackberry Butter: Place a ceramic saucer in the freezer to chill. Combine berries, sugar and lemon juice in small nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring gently to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally until juices create large thick bubbles, about 10 minutes. Spoon 1 teaspoon juices onto chilled saucer; if juices thicken to jam-like consistency after 15 seconds, jam is ready. If not, cook another minute or so. Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Knead butter in a bowl with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula until smooth. Gradually mix in berry jam. Butter can be made up to 3 days ahead; keep covered and refrigerated. Serve at room temperature.

Bacon-Blueberry Cornbread: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook bacon in 9-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron) over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; cool, and coarsely chop. Discard fat from skillet; do not clean skillet, leaving a thin film of fat inside. Whisk cornmeal, ¾ cup of the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Toss blueberries and bacon with remaining tablespoon flour; set aside. Whisk milk, egg and oil in a small bowl. Add to cornmeal mixture and stir with a wooden spoon just until combined. Fold in blueberries and bacon. Spread batter in the bacon fat coated skillet. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve from skillet with blackberry butter. 


bacon recipe courtesy of: Driscoll's Berries, PO Box 50045, Watsonville, California 95077-5045

457. BACON BUTTERMILK WAFFLES with BLACKBERRY SYRUP

makes 4 Belgian or 8 standard waffles, serving 2 generously


6 bacon slices
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk
1 large egg
For blackberry syrup
1/2 cup picked-over blackberries
1/2 cup pure maple syrup

Garnish: 1/2 cup blackberries

Preheat a well-seasoned or non-stick Belgian or standard waffle iron. Preheat oven to 200° F. Finely chop bacon and in a skillet cook over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp. Into a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and stir in buttermilk, egg, and bacon including bacon fat (about 1/4 cup) until smooth (batter will be very thick).

Make syrup: Halve berries lengthwise. In a small saucepan simmer berries with syrup over moderately low heat 1 minute.

Spoon batter into waffle iron (using 1 cup batter for two 4-inch-square Belgian waffles or four 4-inch-square standard waffles), spreading evenly, and cook according to manufacturer's instructions. Transfer waffles to a baking sheet and keep warm, uncovered, in middle of oven. Make more waffles with remaining batter in same manner.

Serve waffles with blackberry syrup and garnish with blackberries.


courtesy of: Gourmet, August 1997