2958. GRILLED CHESE-and-BACON SANDWICHES with CHEESE CURDS

makes four servings 


1/2 beef bouillon cube (about 1 teaspoon) 
1/4 cup mayonnaise 
2 teaspoons Sriracha 
salt and freshly ground pepper 
1 tablespoon vegetable oil 
1 medium onion, thinly sliced 
2 teaspoons cider vinegar 
12 slices of bacon 
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 
8 slices of white sandwich bread 
1/2 pound sharp cheddar, cut into 4 slices 
3 ounces cheddar cheese curds (1 cup) 

In a small bowl, mash the bouillon cube into 2 teaspoons of hot water until dissolved. Whisk in the mayonnaise and Sriracha and season with salt and pepper. 

In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Add the onion, cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. 

Meanwhile, in another skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, turning once, until crisp, 6 minutes. Drain on paper towels. 

Set a griddle over 2 burners and turn the heat to moderate. Butter the bread slices on 1 side. Spread the other side of 4 bread slices with the spicy mayonnaise and top with the onion, cheddar, cheese curds and bacon. Close the sandwiches buttered side out and griddle over moderately low heat until crisp, about 4 minutes per side. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve. 


bacon recipe courtesy of: Frédéric Morin, Food & Wine, October 2011

2397. BACON and CHEESE CURD BURGER

makes 4 servings


4 thick bacon slices
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 pounds 85 percent lean ground chuck or 90 percent lean ground sirloin
3/4 cup cheese curds or string cheese, chopped
salt and ground black pepper
4 good quality hamburger buns
4 1/4 inch thick slices ripe tomato (optional)
4 thin slices white onion (optional)
4 Iceberg lettuce leaves (optional)

Place bacon slices on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Sprinkle each slice with brown sugar. Bake in a 450 degree F oven for 10 minutes or until crisp. When cool enough to handle, chop bacon; set aside.

Divide beef into eight equal portions. Pat beef portions into patties approximately 4 inches in diameter and about 3/4-inch thick.

Equally divide and place the bacon and 3 tablespoons of the cheese curds in the middle of four of the patties, leaving 1/2 inch around the edge of the patty. Top each with the remaining 4 patties. Pinch edges of top and bottom patties together to form one large burger patty. Chill, covered, in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Season burgers with salt and black pepper. For a charcoal grill, place the patties on the well-oiled rack of an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 10 minutes. Turn with a wide spatula and grill 10 to 12 minutes more, until meat is cooked and an instant-read thermometer inserted into patties registers 160 degrees F. Toast buns, cut side down, on grill during last 1 to 2 minutes of grilling. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place patties on grill rack and cover and grill as above.)

To serve, place a cooked burger on bottom half of each bun. If you like, top each with tomato, onion, and lettuce. Makes 4 servings.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef John McClure, Starker's Restaurant, 201 W 47th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, for Midwest Living Magazine

1840. CURD with CHIVE and BREAD CRUST with BACON

serves four


Curd
1/3 lb. curd
1.8 oz. double cream
salt and pepper
1 bunch of minced chives
2 teaspoon vinaigrette, composed of walnut oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar
4 small dandelions, washed
4 small round forms of 1.6 in, oiled

The bacon bread crusts
3 oz. liquid leaven (sour dough)
2 slices of smoked bacon
butter
onion compote
1/2 lb. hacked onions
3/4 oz. butter
2/5 cups red wine vinegar
2/5 cups water
salt and pepper

The reduction:
2/5 cups port wine
2/5 cups red wine

Curd preparation: Mix the curd with double cream. Season with salt and pepper and fill the 4 round forms. Season the 4 dandelions with some vinaigrette. Pour the remaining vinaigrette over the chive and put is on the curd forms. Store it cold.

Preparation of the bacon bread crust: Butter a cake form and, using a brush, spread the liquid leaven over a dimension of 4.7- 1.6 in. Mince the bacon slice and spread them, diagonally, on the bread crusts. Cook in the oven at 428 degrees F, like for sugared biscuit.

Preparation of the onion compote: Sweat the hacked onions in butter with salt and pepper. Deice with red wine vinegar and water. Let it very gently cook on the flame, until the onions turn into a compote.

Reduction preparation: Boil down the port wine and red wine until obtaining a syrup-like consistency.

Ending and presentation: Place a small curd with chive in a concave dish. Remove the circle. Put a nice scoop of onion compote and a dandelion at the side. Sting a bread crust in the curd and pour some drops of the reduction around it.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Georges Wenger, Hotel-Restaurant Georges W, 2, rue de la gare, Le Noirmont, France

1244. BACON-WRAPPED FIGS with GOAT'S CURD, SPINACH and WALNUT DRESSING

serves 4


200 grams toasted, chopped walnuts
half a bunch coarsely chopped coriander leaves
a quarter of a red onion
1 tablespoon lemon juice
12 fresh figs
12 slices bacon
100 grams trimmed baby spinach leaves
100 grams fresh goat's curd

For dressing: Combine 200 grams toasted, chopped walnuts, half a bunch coarsely chopped coriander leaves, a quarter of a red onion, finely chopped, half a seeded red chili, finely chopped, 50ml extra virgin olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice in a small bowl and stir well.

Take 12 fresh figs, make a criss-cross incision in the top of each and wrap in a slice of trimmed shortcut rindless bacon. Bake at 180C for 10-12 minutes or until bacon is cooked and figs are warm.

To serve: Divide 100 grams trimmed baby spinach leaves between four serving plates and top with walnut dressing. Dollop 100g fresh goat's curd on each plate. Place figs on top of curd, season with salt flakes and cracked black pepper and drizzle each plate with 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil.


courtesy of: Whip It Up, by Lynne Mullins