154. BACON-WRAPPED EGGS with POLENTA

makes 8 servings


2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup minced green onions
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup polenta (coarse cornmeal)
1/2 cup (packed) grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme

20 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon
6 ounces extra-sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
6 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated
8 large eggs
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme


For polenta: Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat. Add green onions and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Add 3 cups water and salt; bring to boil. Gradually whisk in polenta. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until thick and creamy, stirring occasionally, about 13 minutes. Stir in cheese and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to lukewarm. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate; polenta will become firm.)

For baked eggs: Heat large skillet over medium heat. Add bacon; fry until beginning to brown but still pliable, about 4 minutes. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Cool slightly. Reserve 2 tablespoons bacon drippings for Spring Greens with Sherry Vinaigrette.

Line sides of eight 1 1/4-cup custard cups with 2 slices bacon each, forming collar. Place 1/2 slice bacon on bottom of each cup. Divide polenta among cups, about generous 1/3 cup each. Press polenta over bottom and up sides of bacon. Mix cheeses in bowl. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese mixture over polenta in each cup. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Crack 1 egg into center of each cup. Sprinkle eggs with remaining cheese, green onions, thyme, and black pepper. Transfer cups to rimmed baking sheet. Bake until egg whites are almost set, about 20 minutes. Let eggs stand at room temperature 5 minutes (eggs will continue to cook).

Run small sharp knife around edge of cups; tilt cups and slide bacon, polenta, and egg onto plates and serve.


courtesy of: Bon Appetit, April 2005

153. KYLE'S "NUTRITIOUS" BACON SANDWICH

makes one serving


bacon (any quantity)
2 slices of bread
barbeque sauce

Put bacon on one slice of bread, and a bunch of barbeque sauce on another slice of bread. Put them together.


courtesy of: Kyle Maynard, Virginia

152. WILTED LETTUCE with BACON

5 slices bacon
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon chopped onion
2 tablespoons sweet or sour cream (optional)
lettuce leaves, washed, dried well and torn into serving-size pieces

Fry bacon until crisp. Remove from pan, drain, crumble and set aside. Leave drippings in pan. Add to drippings the vinegar, onion and cream, if used. Heat all gently, pour over lettuce leaves, added the crumbled bacon. Toss together and serve at once.


courtesy of: How to Cook a Pig and Other Back-to-the-Farm Recipes by Betty Talmadge. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1977, p. 75.

151. FILET of BEEF BOURGUIGNON with BACON

serves 6 to 8


1 3-pound filet of beef, trimmed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 pound bacon, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups good dry red wine, such as Burgundy or Chianti
2 cups beef stock
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/2 pound pearl onions, peeled
8 to 10 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices
3 Tbs. unsalted butter at room temperature
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick (domestic or wild)

With a sharp knife, cut the filet crosswise into 1-inch-thick slices. Salt and pepper the filets on both sides. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan on medium-high heat, sauté the slices of beef in batches with 2 to 3 tablespoons oil until browned on the outside and very rare inside, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove the filets from the pan and set aside on a platter.

In the same pan, sauté the bacon on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Drain all the fat, except 2 tablespoons, from the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook on high heat for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the beef stock, tomato paste, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered on medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Strain the sauce and return it to the pan. Add the onions and carrots and simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and the vegetables are cooked.

With a fork mash 2 tablespoons butter and the flour into a paste and whisk it gently into the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes to thicken.

Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms separately in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil for about 10 minutes, until browned and tender.

Add the filet of beef slices, the mushrooms, and the bacon to the pan with the vegetables and sauce. Cover and reheat gently for 5 to 10 minutes. Do not overcook. Season to taste and serve immediately.


courtesy of: Barefoot Contessa / Ina Garten

150. BOW WOW BACON BALLS

for the Witt, a.k.a. Whizzle, on his last day as a man among men

makes 32-38 treats


1 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup unprocessed wheat bran
1 lb. bacon
1 large egg
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water

Cook bacon until crispy; crumble into bit-sized pieces. Place flour, wheat bran, and crumbled bacon in a medium mixing bowl -- blend with a whisk. Add egg, oil and water. Mix. Dough will be sticky. Shape dough into balls the size of small pecans (or smaller balls for smaller dogs.) Place on sprayed baking sheet. Bake at 325 degrees F for 30 minutes.


courtesy of: Recipe*zaar.com

149. FILLET of MOI (THREAD FISH) with BACON, CELERY ROOT PUREE and FRICASSE of FENNEL, PARSLEY ESSENCE

2 pieces moi, thread fish, fillet, scales on
1 piece celery root, peeled, cleaned, diced
1 cup milk
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 Maui onion, finely sliced
1/2 cup slab bacon, cut into fine julienne
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 bulb fennel, finely sliced
1/2 cup parsley, curly, leaves only
sea salt & pepper, to taste

On low heat, sautee the moi in olive oil on the skin side for 5 minutes. Then turn the heat up until the scales become crispy. Sautee the moi on the other side for 30 seconds. Do not overcook the fish. Season to taste.

Cover the celery root with milk and simmer for 15 minutes, season the process in a blender until smoother consistency. Add 2 Tbs. of olive oil and season.

Sautee the julienne of bacon until crispy, add the onion, the fennel and fennel seeds, sautee until translucent, add the white wine and simmer for 8 minutes. Season and reserve.

In the food processor or a blender, blend the parsley to a smooth paste, add the olive oil, salt and pepper and process together for 2 minutes.

On the center of the plate arrange 1/2 c. of celery root then the sauteed fennel, put 2 fillets of moi per serving on the top. Surround with the essence of parsley.


courtesy of: Chef Mavro of Chef Mavro Restaurant, Honolulu, Hawaii

148. BROWN FIELD PEAS with RICE and BACON

a.k.a. "Hoppin' John"

makes 8 servings


1 cup raw cow (field) peas
4 cups water
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup raw rice
4 slices bacon fried with:
1 medium onion

Boil peas in salted water until tender. Add peas and 1 cup of the pea liquid to rice, bacon (with grease) and onion. Put in a rice steamer or double-boiler and cook for one hour or until rice is thoroughly done.


courtesy of: Mary Royall Barnwell, Charleston Recipes, collected by the Junior League of Charleston (1950).

147. RACLETTE with BACON

a.k.a. Raclette Artisanal

for Christine Bown

serves 6


18 fingerling potatoes
1 tablespoon fine sea salt
12 oz. Raclette, sliced and brought to room temperature (see note)
1 tablespoon gros sel (coarse sea salt or kosher salt)
12 slices smoked bacon, cooked till crisp
black pepper to taste

NOTE: Raclette substitutes: Gruyère, Appenzeller or Beaufort

Preheat the broiler. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Add the fine sea salt and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook until fork tender (about 20 minutes). Drain and keep warm. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Arrange 6 halves like the spokes of a wheel on ovenproof plates. Arrange the cheese slices evenly over the hot potatoes. Place the plates in the broiler for approximately 2 minutes until the cheese melts. Sprinkle an equal amount of the gross sel, plus 2 turns of the peppermill, on each plate, then arrange two slices of bacon on top of the cheese and potatoes. Serve, with a salad, gherkins, and pickled onions.


courtesy of: Artisanal Cheese Center, 500 West 37th Street, New York City, info@artisanalcheese.com

146. BACON-WRAPPED GRILLED OSTRICH LOIN

for Elizabeth Sanger


4 8-ounce pieces ostrich loin
4 ounces bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
4 ounces lingonberry jelly
4 ounces chicken glaze
3 ounces minced shallots
4 sprigs rosemary

Wrap a bacon slice around each ostrich loin, sandwiching in the rosemary twig. Skewer with a wood toothpick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Sear the loin off in a hot skillet, then place into a 375 degree oven. Cook until medium, no more.

Brown off the shallots in the searing pan and add the lingonberry jelly and chicken glaze.

After removing the loins from the oven, remove the bacon and slice loins down into very thin strips.

Top with lingonberry glaze.


courtesy of: Three Chimneys Inn, Durham, New Hampshire

145. GERMAN POTATO SALAD with BACON

a.k.a. "Nuremberg Potato Salad"

serves 6


2 lb. Red Bliss potatoes

Dressing:
3/4 cup diced bacon (1/4 lb.)
3/4 cup minced yellow onion
1 1/2 teaspoons flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 to 1/3 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh curly parsley
1 teaspoon celery seed

In a heavy saucepan that accommodates the potatoes without crowding, place the potatoes , water to cover, and about 1 teaspoon salt per quart of water. Cover partially, bring to a boil, and cook until tender when pierced, 20 to 25 minutes after the water has returned to a boil. Drain the potatoes in a colander. When cool enought to handle, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place in a bowl.

Meanwhile, make the dressing: in a small skillet over medium heat, fry the bacon until just crisp, 5 to 6 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the onion and saute until just tender but not brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup of the vinegar and the 1/2 cup water until smooth. Taste and add more vinegar if the mixture is not tart enough. Add the flour mixture to the bacon, then simmer over low heat, stirring, until slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes.

Pour the hot dressing over the potatoes and add the remaining 1/4 cup onion, the parsley, and the celery seed. Toss the salad by pouring it from one bowl to another until the potatoes are well coated.

Serve the salad immediately, or let cool, cover, and refrigerate overnight, then serve cold.


courtesy of: Mary Ellen Shields, The Manor on Golden Pond / from Potato Salad: Fifty Favorite Recipes, by Barbara Lauterbach. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002, p. 90.

144. EGGPLANT with BACON and CARAWAY SEEDS

4 slices bacon, cut up
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 small regular eggplant, peeled and cubed

In 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon, onion and caraway until onions are light brown. Drain most of the fat. Reduce heat to medium; add vinegar and eggplant. Cook, covered, 5 to 7 minutes until eggplant is tender, stirring occasionally.


courtesy of: Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook, 1989 edition

143. SAVORY CREPES with MUSHROOM and BACON FILLING

makes 12 crêpes, serving 6 as a lunch main course


For crêpes:
1 large egg
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil for brushing pan

For filling
6 slices bacon
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced thin
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves

Make crêpes: In a bowl whisk together egg, milk, butter, and parsley until combined well. Add flour, salt and pepper and whisk until smooth. Heat a 6- to 8-inch crepe pan over moderately high heat until hot. Brush pan with oil and heat until hot but not smoking. Remove pan from heat. Stir batter and half fill a 1/4-cup measure with it. Pour batter into pan, tilting and rotating pan quickly to cover bottom with a thin layer of batter, and return any excess to bowl. Return pan to heat and loosen edge of crêpe with a spatula. Cook crêpe until underside is lightly browned. Turn crêpe and lightly brown other side. Transfer crêpe to a plate. Make more crêpes with remaining batter, brushing pan lightly with oil as necessary. (Crêpes may be made 1 day in ahead and chilled, stacked and wrapped well in plastic wrap.)

Make filling: In a large heavy skillet cook bacon over moderately high heat until crisp and transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet and chop bacon. To fat remaining in skillet add mushrooms and 1 tablespoon butter and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until liquid mushrooms give off is evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

Preheat oven to 200°F..

In a heavy saucepan melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter over moderately high heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk gradually, whisking constantly, and cook. stirring, occasionally, 5 minutes or until thickened and smooth. Add mushrooms, cream, parsley, bacon, salt and pepper to taste and simmer 10 minutes, or until very thick. Cool filling slightly.

Spread each crêpe with about 1/4 cup filling and fold in quarters, transferring crêpes as filled to an ovenproof platter. Heat crêpes in oven until heated through.


courtesy of: You Asked For It; Rothay Manor, Ambleside UK / Gourmet, November 1996

142. BACON and BOURSIN CHEESE PUFF PIZZA

makes 18 appetizers


1/2 package (17.3-oz.-size) frozen puff pastry
1 package (5.2 oz.) garlic and fine herbs cheese, softened (such as Boursin) or 2/3 cup garlic and herb cream cheese
1 tablespoon milk
6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
3 tablespoons sliced green onion

Thaw puff pastry for 40 minutes. Preheat oven to 400º. Unfold pastry on lightly floured surface. Roll into an 18x9-inch rectangle. Cut into 18 (3-inch) squares. Press squares into 3-inch muffin cups that have been coated with cooking spray; set aside. In mixing bowl, stir together cheese and milk until smooth. Spoon a rounded teaspoonful into each pastry shell. Top with pieces of bacon and green onion. Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown.


NOTE: Boursin, a French triple crèmes cheese, is a rich, soft, uncured mild cheese that has been infused with garlic and herbs. It can often be found in the deli section of larger supermarkets.


courtesy of: National Pork Board.

141. BACON CRUNCH BARS

makes 32 servings, 1 bar each


1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup peanut butter
4 cups Grape Nuts cereal
1 lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled

Line 13x9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Spray foil with cooking spray; set aside. Mix sugar, corn syrup and peanut butter in large microwaveable bowl. Microwave on high for two minutes or just until mixture boils, stirring every minute.

Combine cereal and bacon. Add to corn syrup mixture; mix until well blended.

Press cereal mixture firmly into prepared pan. Cool. Lift bars from pan, using foil handles. Remove foil. Cut into 32 bars to serve.


courtesy of: Kraft Foods

140. BACON-WRAPPED TROUT with PERSILLADE

serves four


4 whole trout, boned and butterflied, head and tail intact
32 slices high-quality bacon, sliced ultra thin
Persillade (see recipe below)
extra-virgin olive oil (for grill or sauté pan)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Persillade (bread crumb stuffing)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) or unseasoned breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 garlic clove, minced

Lay 8 slices of bacon on work surface, neatly overlapping them slightly.

Lay trout on work surface and open up to expose meat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Spoon ¼ of the persillade into the center and close fish. Place on top of bacon and wrap bacon around the fish leaving the head and tail exposed. Repeat process with remaining fish.

On a hot grill, brush grate with olive oil. (If using stovetop, add a little oil and a pat of butter to sauté pan, until butter just starts to bubble.) Grill each trout until bacon is fully cooked and crisp on both sides (turning only once), about 10 minutes per side.


Persillade:
In a small sauté pan over low heat, melt butter. Add garlic and Panko. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 5 minutes. Add parsley. Season again if desired. Set mixture aside until ready to use.


courtesy of: Tom Valenti, 'Cesca, New York, New York

139. CHEESE RAREBIT with BACON

a.k.a. "Oysters Derring-Do"

serves eight


16 shucked large oysters
1 whisked egg
1 tablespoon water
cornflake crumbs
8 slices bacon
oil for frying
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
6 oz. evaporated milk
½ lb. grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 tablespoons Kirsch
8 slices white toast
8 thin slices tomato
chopped parsley

Remove the oysters from the shells, pat dry; dip in the egg mixed with water, roll in crumbs, and chill at least 15 minutes.

Cook the bacon until brown and crisp in a skillet, drain on absorbent paper, and crumble.

Fry the oysters, a few at a time, in 375 degree oil until they are golden on both sides; set aside on absorbent paper, and keep warm.

Mix the mustard, Worchestershire, milk, cheeses, and Kirsch in the top of a double boiler; cook over boiling water, stirring constantly, until the mixture is hot, smooth, and thick. Add milk if a thinner consistency is desired.

Trim the crusts from the toast, place a tomato slice and 2 oysters on each piece, nap with the rarebit, and top with bacon and a bit of parsley.

Serve immediately.


courtesy of: Oysters: A Culinary Celebration, by Joan Reardon. Guilford, Connecticut: The Lyons Press, 2004, pp. 133-134.

138. BELGIAN WAFFLES with BACON

for Greta Wrolstad

yields eight waffles


2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 cups milk
3 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla
pinch of salt
fruit of your choice
whipped cream

Cook bacon over medium to medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to a cutting board, and crumble.

Combine the flour, baking powder, confectioners' sugar, oil, milk and egg yolks. Beat the egg whites until they stand in soft peaks and fold into the batter (do not overmix). Add the crumbled bacon. Using a 4-ounce ladle, pour 1/8 of the mixture into a hot waffle iron and bake for about 2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. Top with the fruit and whipped cream and serve hot.


courtesy of: Glynn House Inn Bed & Breakfast, Ashland, New Hampshire

137. BACON-PIMIENTO CHEESE

makes 1 quart


8 bacon slices
2 (8 oz.) blocks smoked cheddar cheese, shredded
2 (8 oz.) blocks cheddar cheese, shredded
1 ½ cups mayonnaise
1 (4 oz.) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper

Cook bacon in a skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels. Crumble bacon. Stir together bacon, cheeses, and remaining ingredients in a bowl. Serve immediately.


courtesy of: Southern Living, May 2005.

136. PAN-ROASTED MUSSELS with RED CURRY, WHITE WINE and SMOKED BACON

1 cup diced, raw hickory-smoked bacon
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1/2 cup white leeks
1 bag mussels (2 lbs.)
1/2 cup chopped fennel
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
1 cup coarsely chopped ripe tomatoes

Cook bacon in a heavy pot over moderately high heat until the fat is beginning to crisp. Add the leeks, fennel, mushrooms and garlic; cook until just tender. Add the white wine and stir to release any food sticking to the inside of the pan. Add tomatoes, red curry paste, mussels and chicken broth. Cover pot cook for about 5 minutes or until mussels have opened. Finish by stirring in the chopped fresh mint and butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon mussels into 4 large soup bowls. Ladle broth and vegetables over mussels.


courtesy of: Melissa Derbyshire, Port Clyde, Maine - 3rd Place Winner, The Great Eastern Mussel Farms recipe contest

135. BACON-STUFFED STEAK

a.k.a. "Steakon," by Stephen Fitzgerald


1 steak, any cut
1 lb. bacon (or as much as you can stuff into a piece of steak)

a knife
a grill

Prepare bacon until a majority of the fat has come out. Bacon should still be limp. Slice a steak down the side so that it becomes a "pouch", kind of like a meaty coin purse. Stuff bacon into pouch (as much as will fit). With a knife, vertically puncture the open end of the steak through both the top and the bottom of the pouch. Weave a piece of bacon through the puncture, tying the pouch closed. Grill steak to desired "done-ness." Devour.

NOTE: The steakon can also be cooked in the oven, but I reccommend it grilled, as I first cooked it on a breezy summer evening. Serve with a salad or hot wings.


courtesy of: Stephen Fitzgerald, Portland, Maine