3570. QUINCE with CIPOLLINI ONIONS and BACON

yields six servings 


1 pound cipollini onions 
2 ½ to 3 pounds quinces (about 5), peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch chunks 
6 tablespoons pure syrup 
½ pound thick-cut bacon 
4 tablespoons good quality balsamic vinegar 
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg 
Salt and ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Leaves from 5 sprigs fresh thyme

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil, add the onions, turn off the heat and let sit 5 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Toss quinces with half the maple syrup and spread in a single layer in a large baking pan. Bake 25 minutes, until tender.

Peel and trim the onions. Quarter large ones; cut small ones in half. Fry bacon in a large sauté pan over medium heat until browned. Remove and drain on paper towels. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat. Add onions to the pan and sauté on medium until lightly browned, about 6 minutes.

Cut bacon strips in 3/4-inch pieces. Add to pan with onions. Reduce heat to low. Add remaining maple syrup and the vinegar. Fold in quince. Add nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Add parsley and thyme. Gently fold ingredients together. Cook a few minutes, then serve warm.


bacon recipe source: Florence Fabricant, The New York Times/Cooking (@nytfood); adapted from Eric Gorman, White Silo Farm and Winery, Sherman, CT

1876. BONE MARROW SFORMATINO, SMOKED BACON and ONIONS

yields six servings


Bone Marrow Sformatino:
5 ounces cream
1½ ounces crème fraîche
2 eggs
2 ounces rendered marrow fat
salt
nonstick spray

Caramelized Cipollini Onions:
18 peeled cipollini onions
vegetable oil

Onion Purée:
1 sweet onion, quartered
1 tablespoon Arborio rice

To Assemble and Serve:
6 strips cooked bacon
5 ounces reduced, hot beef jus
watercress leaves
olive oil
grated horseradish
sea salt

For the Bone Marrow Sformatino: Preheat the oven to 325ºF. Warm the cream and crème fraîche in a small pot over medium heat. Crack the eggs into a separate container and transfer to a Vita-Prep. Blending the eggs slowly, pour the warmed cream and crème fraîche mixture into the Vita-Prep with the machine running until combined. Blend in the melted marrow fat next, and season with the salt before switching off the Vita-Prep. Coat 2-ounce ceramic or foil baking cups with the non-stick spray, then fill with the cream and egg mixture. Bake the cups set in a covered water bath in the oven until just set, about 20 minutes.

For the Caramelized Cipollini Onions: Pan-roast the cipollini onions in a little oil until tender and caramelized, then set aside.

For the Onion Purée: In a covered pan, steam the sweet onion and rice with a few tablespoons of water over low heat. When the mixture is completely soft and the rice is well-cooked, remove from the heat. Purée the rice mixture in a Vita-Prep with the butter, olive oil, and salt.

To Assemble and Serve: Warm the serving plates and spoon a dollop of the onion purée onto each plate. Remove the marrow sformatini from the molds and place one on each plate. Distribute the caramelized onions evenly among the six plates. Do the same with the cooked bacon pieces. Drizzle each plate with the beef jus. Dress the watercress leaves with olive oil and salt and scatter over the top of the jus. Grate the fresh horseradish over each plate with a microplane and finish with a sprinkling of sea salt.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Matthew Accarrino, SPQR, 1911 Fillmore Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, (415) 771-7779

1641. ESCARGOT FRICASSEE with MUSHROOMS, BRUSSEL SPROUTS and CANDIED BACON JAM

yields two servings


14 snails, cleaned, purged, fully cooked
1/8 lb butter, unsalted
1 cup Brussels sprouts, leaves only
1 cup chanterelles, cleaned and quartered
6 cipollini onions, quartered and peeled
½ lemon
salt, pepper, cayenne or espelette pepper

For Bacon Jam:
1 cup bacon, cut into 2” X 1” X 1/2” pieces
¼ cup yellow onions, julienned
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon honey
3 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon butter, unsalted

For Parsley Puree:
2 bunches fresh parsley
1 tablespoon walnut oil
1 tablespoon orange oil
1 tablespoon grapeseed oil

For Bacon Jam: Render bacon in a heavy sauté pan in hot 500-degree F oven until bacon is crispy. Pull from oven and remove bacon. Cook julienned onions in the remaining bacon fat, scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan until onions are dark golden. Add brown sugar and stir to coat. Add a third of the chicken stock and place pan back in the oven to simmer. Reduce mixture until thick, almost au sec (approx 5-15 minutes). Watch carefully that it doesn’t burn. Add half of the remaining stock and reduce again until thick. Add all of the remaining stock and remove pan from the oven. Season with salt, pepper, and espelette to taste. Pour contents into a blender and puree until fairly smooth. Pour contents back into sauté pan and stir in honey to combine. Put pan back into oven and cook stirring frequently until deep brick red color is reached. Re-season and mount with butter. Allow to cool to warm temperature. Reserve.

For Parsley Puree: Blanch, shock, and drain parsley with stems in tact. Puree in blender with oils and a pinch of salt until smooth. Reserve.

For Snails: Melt butter in sauté pan. Add cipollini onions and cook in 500-degree F oven until golden brown. Remove from heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Add chanterelles to pan and place back in oven. Cook until caramelized. Add Brussels sprout leaves and cook for 1 minute. Add snails and cook until heated through. Season and add juice and zest of ½ a lemon. Add a few splashed of cold water to emulsify sauce. Reserve.

To Serve: Spoon a tablespoon of bacon jam onto the plate. Using spoon, stretch the jam to make an elongated shape. Drain fricassee on towels and spoon onto plate slightly overlapping bacon jam. Sprinkle lightly with espelette. Drizzle a small spoonful of parsley puree in front of both components.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Kevin Gillespie, Quickfire Challenge Winner, Top Chef, Season 6, Episode 4

1356. LAMB KABOBS with BACON, ONIONS, PEPPERS and TOMATOES

serves four


1/4 cup fragrant olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/4 teaspoon dried leaves
1 1/2 lb. lamb cut from the leg into 1 1/2-inch cubes (about 20 cubes)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 12-inch wooden skewers soaked for 15 minutes in water
4 slices thick-sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
8 large cherry tomatoes
8 1 1/2-inch pearl onions or cippolini onions, peeled, with an "X" cut in each root end and blanched
1 large red or green bell pepper with seeds and membranes removed, cut into 1-inch squares
sprigs of fresh thyme to garnish (optional)
Greek olives to garnish (optional)
tzatziki (recipe of your choice)

Combine the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano and thyme together in a large resealable plastic bag. Add the lamb cubes, season with salt and pepper, seal the bag, and marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator, turning a couple of times.

Heat a barbecue or gas grill to high. Remove the meat from the marinade. For each 12-inch skewer, start by threading a tomato onto the skewer. Add a piece of bacon doubled over, a cube of lamb, a piece of bacon doubled over, and an onion. Continue with lamb, pepper, lamb, tomatoes, lamb, and onion, and finally lamb and pepper, putting a piece of bacon on either side of each cube of lamb in the sequence. Repeat with remaining skewers.

Lightly oil the grill. Place the skewers on the grill, cover, and cook until the meat is medium-rare, about 1-2 minutes per side, turning until all four sides are cooked, about 8 minutes total cooking time. To serve, transfer the skewers to plates with salad or cooked rice on them. Garnish with the thyme sprigs and Greek olives; spoon on the tzatziki, and serve.


courtesy of: Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore about America's Favorite Indulgence by Joanna Pruess with Bob Lape. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press, 2006, p. 110

1336. BACON-WRAPPED WISCONSIN MENAGE with HONEY GLAZED CIPOLLINI ONION SKEWERS

12 small whole cipollini onions, peeled
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water
8 (1-inch) cubes Wisconsin Carr Valley Menage cheese
4 strips bacon, precooked, but not until crisp, halved

Onions: Place onions, honey, apple cider vinegar and water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 to 15 minutes or until onions are tender. Cool in liquid.

Skewers: Wrap each piece of cheese with bacon, securing the bacon with toothpicks. Skewer the onions and cheese alternately on 4 (4 to 5-inches long) thin skewers, with the exposed side of cheese next to the onions.

Final Preparation: Heat grill to high heat. Place skewers on grill. Grill on each side for approximately 2 minutes, turning to make sure all sides of bacon are grilled. Remove toothpicks. Serve immediately.


courtesy of: Chef John Caputo | Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, 8418 Excelsior Drive, Madison, Wisconsin 53717, (608) 836-8820