1219. BACON and JICAMA MELT

1/2 jicama, 1/2 red onion, 1/2 green pepper diced
2 oz bacon, cooked
1 oz shredded cheese
garlic salt
Pam non-stick cooking spray

Heat large skillet with Pam non-stick cooking spray, add onion after a few minutes add green pepper until tender, then jicama until browned..adding garlic salt and spraying with Pam periodically so it doesn't burn. Add cooked bacon until heated heated then cheese just until melted. Serve.


courtesy of: Happy2BeMe.com

1218. EGG, CHEESE and BACON BISCUIT PANINI

makes 4 servings


6 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 package large refrigerated dough biscuits (i.e., Pillsbury Grands)
4 slices fully-cooked bacon, cut in half cross-wise
4 slices mild cheddar cheese

Prepare the refrigerated dough biscuits according to the package instructions. Set aside to cool. To prepare the omelet, heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk together eggs, milk, salt, pepper and basil. Spray an oven-proof 8″ saute pan with cooking spray and cook egg mixture over medium heat until the bottom of the omelet is done. Transfer pan tot he oven and bake another 5 minutes until the top is set. Invert the omelet onto a cutting board and, with a knife, divide it into four equal sections. Heat the panini grill to 350 degrees.

To assemble the sandwiches, slice 4 of the baked biscuits in half lengthwise. Starting from the bottom of the sandwich, layer the bottom half of the biscuit, a section of omelet, 2 half-slices of bacon, a slice of cheese and the top half of the biscuit. Grill for 3 minutes on a medium-high grill height until the cheese has melted and the biscuits are toasted. Serve hot.


courtesy of: Panini Happy by "Panini" Kathy

1217. KABOCHA SALAD with GREENS, BACON, CHEESE and PECAS

yields 6 servings


½ cup pecan halves
6 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
2 pounds kabocha squash
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
1 2/3 pound slab good quality bacon
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
8 ounces young dandelion greens, cleaned
¼ cup sliced shallots
¼ pound Roncal, Manchego or pecorino cheese.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread pecans on baking sheet and toast about 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until fragrant. Toss with 1 teaspoon oil and a pinch of salt. Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place squash, cut side down, on cutting board, and peel with knife. Slice lengthwise into ¾ inch wedges. Turn up oven to 425 degrees. Toss squash with ¼ cup oil, 2 teaspoons salt, some pepper and thyme. Roast, flat on baking sheet, about 30 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, cut bacon crosswise into 3/8 inch slices and then into even-sided rectangles. Whisk together vinegar, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ¼ teaspoon salt. Place greens, torn up if too large, in large salad bowl. Heat large pan over high heat for 1 minute. Add bacon, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, until just beginning to brown. Lower heat to medium, add shallots and toss to combine. Remove from heat, swirl in vinaigrette and add to greens with squash. Season with ¼ teaspoon salt and pinch of pepper, and toss gently. Taste for seasoning. Arrange half the salad on platter. Shave some cheese over salad, sprinkle on half the nuts, top with remaining salad, more cheese shavings and rest of the nuts.


courtesy of: Sunday Suppers at Lucques: Seasonal Recipes from Market to Table by Suzanne Goin and Teri Gelber. Knopf, 2005 | The New York Times,, November 9, 2005

1216. PURSLANE and BACON SALAD

serves 4


6 slices bacon
4 cups shredded lettuce, such as romaine
2 cups purslane, rinsed and snipped into small pieces
6 small white mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 green onions, finely chopped
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon ketchup
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp and brown. Drain on paper towels. When cool, crumble coarsely. Reserve. Put the lettuce, purslane, mushrooms, and onions in a large bowl. In a small bowl put the remaining ingredients, and whisk well to mix. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to mix. Serve the salad at once sprinkled with the bacon.


courtesy of: 1,000 Mexican Recipes by Marge Poore. Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2001

1215. STIR-FRIED BACON with BAMBOO SHOOTS

100g fresh bamboo shoots
2 fresh red chilies
150g streaky smoked bacon, cut into 4cm strips
3 tablespoons groundnut oil, or lard for frying
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 handful chives, preferably Chinese, or spring onion greens, cut into 4cm strips
1 teaspoon sesame oil

If using fresh bamboo shoot, remove the husk from the bamboo shoot and cut into thin slices to match the bacon.

Blanch the slices in a pan of boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain. If you are using tinned winter bamboo, simply cut into thin slices and blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then drain.

Cut the chillies at an angle into thin slices , discarding the seeds and stalks.

Add the groundnut oil to a wok. Add bamboo slices and allow to sizzle. Then add the bacon, garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and fresh chilli and stir-fry until fragrant, seasoning with light soy sauce to taste.

Add the Chinese chives and stir-fry briefly until cooked. Remove from the heat, stir in the sesame oil and serve immediately with steamed rice.


courtesy of: Fuchsia Dunlop, Great Food Live, UKTV Food | Sky Channel 249, Virgin TV 260

1214. GUINEA FOWL, LEMON THYME, BACON and ASIAN GALANGAL

1 guinea fowl
500 ml chicken stock
2 rashers smoked bacon
10 grams lemon thyme, picked over and washed
1 whole lemon, washed and thinly sliced
1 stem galangal, washed and cut into thick batons
4 lime leaves
2 stems lemongrass, cut and slightly crushed
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

For Salad
amaranth
tatsoi
mizuna
pea asparagus
purple ruffled basil
burnett
baby spinach
red sorrel
chickweed

Flowers
broad bean flowers
Chinese leek flowers
red mustard
nasturtium flowers
chives

For Dressing
virgin olive oil
1 lemon, squeezed

Take the fowl and separate the legs from the main carcass. Cut the legs through the knee bone joint and reserve aside. Take the wishbone out at the front of the bird and continue to cut the remaining breasts of the guinea fowl off the carcass. Cut through the wing joint, thus retaining it on the breast. Lift the exposed breast fillet and place a quarter of the prepared lemon thyme underneath it. Take the rashers of bacon and stretch them out with the aid of a rolling pin so they attain twice their original length. Wrap the individual breasts with a bacon rasher securing with a wooden cocktail stick. Place the entire guinea fowl meat into a roasting dish with sides high enough to hold the chicken stock. Place the other ingredients alongside the meat, lightly season. Bring the bouillon to a gentle boil, place in a preheated oven 200C and cook for about 15 minutes.


courtesy of: bigoven: share your cooking

1213. GRILLED BACON-WRAPPED SHRIMP stuffed with ASADERO CHEESE and BASIL

12 ounces asadero cheese
20 large shrimp
20 strips bacon
1 bunch fresh basil leaves

Peel and vein the shrimp. Slice along the backside as far down as possible with out it falling apart. Lay shrimp flat on their backs. Separate the asadero cheese, two slices at a time, and cut into 1/4" rectangles. Place a piece of cheese and a basil leaf in the middle of the shrimp and fold over. Wrap with a strip of bacon, overlapping each wrap and secure with a toothpick. Grill on a hot grill until bacon is cooked. (You could also pan broil).


courtesy of: divine.ca: Canada's online women's magazine

1212. CHICKEN SCHNITZEL stuffed with MUSHROOMS, BACON and PARSLEY

serves four


1 teaspoon butter
2 rashers bacon, chopped
75 grams mushrooms, sliced
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
8 slices chicken schnitzel
1 tablespoon oil
Toothpicks

Preheat the oven to 200˚C. Melt the butter in a small frying pan. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Add the mushrooms and cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until mushrooms are lightly browned. Stir in the parsley. Lay each slice of schnitzel out flat. Place some of the mushroom mixture on one end of each schnitzel. Roll up and secure underneath with a toothpick. Place schnitzel in a baking dish. Drizzle with the oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cooked through.


courtesy of: Tegel NZ, Tegel Foods Ltd, Level 5, Tower B, 100 Carlton Gore Road, Newmarket, Auckland, Private Bag 99927

1211. BAKED SCROD with PIQUANT ONION and BACON CRUST

serves two


2 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons minced dill pickle
3/4 pound scrod (young cod or haddock) fillet
1 teaspoon mayonnaise

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a skillet cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until it is crisp, add the onion, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the bread crumbs, the pickle, and salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the scrod in a foil-lined shallow baking dish, spread the top with the mayonnaise, and cover the fish with the crumb mixture, pressing it in gently. Bake the scrod in the upper third of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it just flakes.


courtesy of: Gourmet, 1993

1210. BROWN RICE and BACON SALAD

6 slices bacon
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 recipe Baked Brown Rice, recipe follows
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

In a 10-inch saute pan over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Drain, crumble, and set aside. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat.

Add the red onion to the pan and cook until translucent, approximately 5 to 6 minutes. Add the vinegar, chicken broth, mustard, sugar, salt, and pepper to the pan and stir to combine. Add the bacon back to the pan along with the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is absorbed, approximately 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in the dill. Allow to cool slightly before serving.


Baked Brown Rice:
1 1/2 cups brown rice, medium or short grain
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Place the rice into an 8-inch square glass baking dish.

Bring the water, butter, and salt just to a boil in a kettle or covered saucepan. Once the water boils, pour it over the rice, stir to combine, and cover the dish tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, remove cover and fluff the rice with a fork. Serve immediately.


courtesy of: Alton Brown, "Do The Rice Thing," Good Eats, 2005

1209. BACON, BUTTERNUT SQUASH and BASIL BAKED RISOTTO

14oz butternut squash, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 slices bacon
1½oz unsalted butter
¼ cup torn basil leaves
1½ cups arborio (or risotto) rice
4½ cups (36floz) vegetable stock
1 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper unsalted butter, melted, for drizzling

Preheat the oven to 355ºF. Place the butternut squash, oil, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to coat. Transfer it to a baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes or until golden and tender. Set aside. Place the bacon on a dish, between paper towel and microwave for 1½ minutes or until crisp. Let it cool, then break it into small pieces using your fingertips. Set aside. lace the rice and stock in a 8½ x12in 10-cup capacity baking dish and stir to combine. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until most of the stock is absorbed and the rice is al dente. Add the parmesan, salt, pepper, butternut squash, bacon and basil and stir to combine. Drizzle with butter and serve immediately.


courtesy of: Open Source Food

1208. BLT SALAD with RANCH DRESSING

makes 4 servings


1/2 pound slab bacon, cut into 1x1/4-inch pieces
4 cups cubed (1 inch) French bread
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4 cups baby arugula
4 cups frisée
4 ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives
1/2 cup prepared ranch dressing


Cook the bacon in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. Drain on paper towel. Reserve 2 tablepsoons of the bacon fat. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Toss bread cubes with bacon fat, thyme, salt, and pepper. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until golden, 12-15 minutes, shaking the pan once. Place arugula and frisée in a bowl. Toss with the bacon, tomatoes, bread cubes, chives, salt, and pepper. Drizzle with dressing.


courtesy of: Sheila Lukins, Parade, August 2008

1207. GRILLED BOSTON LETTUCE SALAD with WARM BACON BLUE CHEESE DRESSING

serves eight


For lettuce:
4 heads Boston lettuce, rinsed and dried
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 sliced tomato (for garnish)
chopped flat-leaf parsley (for garnish)

For dressing:
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles
5 or 6 slices applewood-smoked bacon, chopped and fried crisp, then drained
salt and pepper to taste

Cut each head of lettuce in half. Toss leaves with olive oil so that all sides are evenly coated and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill on an indoor or outdoor grill for 45 seconds to a side.

Put the lettuce on salad plates and ladle on warm dressing. Garnish plates with sliced tomatoes and chopped parsley.

In a medium saucepan, preferably nonstick, bring heavy cream to a boil. Immediately reduce heat to medium and add blue cheese. Stir more if you wish the cheese to be thoroughly incorporated, less if you want it to remain somewhat chunky. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add bacon, salt, and pepper.


courtesy of: Texas Monthly, 2001 | P.O. Box 1569, Austin, Texas 78767-1569

1206. BACON, EGG and CHEESE-STUFFED CREPES with LEEKS and TOMATO

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup water
9 eggs
4 strips bacon
1 leek, diced
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
5 ounces soft goat cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil or nonstick spray, for cooking the crepes

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour and sugar. Add the milk, water, and 3 eggs and mix well. Refrigerate the batter for 1 hour.

Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook it until brown and crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on paper towels. Pour out half of the grease. Return the pan to the heat and add the leeks, cooking for 1 minute.

In a small bowl, whisk the remaining eggs and add them to the pan, stirring until they start to set but are still a bit runny. Add the tomato, goat cheese and stir until the eggs are cooked but not dry. Remove the pan from the heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, preheat a crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and coat the pan with vegetable oil or nonstick spray. Remove the batter from the refrigerator. Coat the pan with about 1/4 cup of batter, cook until the edges start to brown, then flip the crepe. Cook for 10 more seconds and remove from the pan. Keep warm while cooking the remaining crepes.

Place 2 large spoonfuls of the egg mixture in each crepe and roll them. Place 2 crepes on each plate and serve immediately.


courtesy of: Rachael Ray, "Newport, RI," $40 a Day

1205. CARAMELIZED PORK BELLY with PRAWNS and POTATO and BACON SAUCE

serves 4


For the pork belly
1 lb., 12 oz. pork belly
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons caster sugar
1¾ pint melted duck fat

For the prawn sauce
8 large prawns, shells removed, de-veined
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ carrot, chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato purée
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only
1 sprig thyme
16 fl oz white wine

For the crisp bacon
8 thin slices streaky bacon

For the potato and bacon sauce
1¾oz butter
2 shallots, chopped
1 sprig rosemary, leaves only
5¼oz smoked streaky bacon, finely chopped
5oz potato, peeled, chopped
7fl oz whole milk

To serve
4 young spring carrots, peeled, boiled
4 asparagus spears, peeled, blanched
4 spring onions, fried for 2-3 minutes
dash olive oil

For the pork belly, preheat the oven to 285F. Place the duck fat into a large roasting tray. Season the pork belly with salt and sugar and place into the roasting tray. Transfer to the oven to cook for four hours, or until tender. Remove from the oven and leave to cool in the duck fat.

For the prawn sauce, preheat the oven to 340F. Lightly season the prawns with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then vacuum pack in a vacuum bag. Place the reserved prawn shells onto a clean roasting tray with the oil, carrot, celery, garlic and shallots and place into the oven to roast for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the tomato purée. Stir to coat and add the rosemary and thyme sprigs. Return to oven for a further 15 minutes Remove from the oven and place the roasting tray over a medium heat. Add the wine and stir to deglaze the tray, removing any brown bits from the bottom of the tray. Transfer the contents of the oven tray into a large pan over a medium heat with 2¾ pints of water and simmer for 1½ hours. Skim the surface when necessary. Strain the liquid through a fine sieve into another large pot. Place over a medium heat and boil until the volume of liquid has reduced to approximately 1¾fl oz. Season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the crisp bacon, preheat the oven to 150F. Place the bacon onto a baking tray and place into the oven to cook for 1-1½ hours, or until crisp.

For the potato and bacon sauce, melt the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots, rosemary and half of the chopped streaky bacon. Fry for five minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the chopped potato in a large pan of boiling salted water until tender. Drain and pass through a ricer into a bowl until smooth (or mash until very smooth). Add the milk to the mashed potato, mash again, and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Add the mashed potato to the bacon mixture and cook over a low heat for five minutes. Strain the potato and bacon mixture through a very fine sieve, then spoon into a siphon ready to create a foam.

For the pork belly, heat the grill to its highest setting. Trim the cooked pork belly and cut into squares of approximately 5in. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the pork belly squares and fry until golden-brown. Transfer to a grill tray and brush with a little prawn sauce. Place under the grill to further caramelize. Add the reserved chopped streaky bacon to the pan the pork belly was cooked in and fry until golden-brown. Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Place the vacuum-packed prawns into a water bath at 140F and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until just cooked.

To serve, place the carrots, asparagus and spring onions into the center of four plates and place two pieces of crisp bacon on both sides of each plate. Place a pork belly square onto each portion of vegetables and crisp bacon. Place a cooked prawn onto each slice of crisp bacon and add a little potato and bacon sauce foamed from the siphon. Add a little prawn sauce onto each piece of pork belly. Sprinkle the crisp chopped bacon pieces over the potato and bacon sauce and serve.


courtesy of: Danny Millar, Great British Menu, BBC Food

1204. TORTELLINI ALFREDO with PEAS and BACON

makes 4 servings


1 package (9 ounces) spinach cheese tortellini, prepared according to package
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
4 slices bacon coarsely chopped
1 container (10 ounces) alfredo sauce
1/2 cup green peas cooked
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cook onion, mushrooms and bacon in medium saucepan over medium-high heat until bacon is crisp; drain. Add pasta, sauce, peas and pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Serve with cheese.


courtesy of: Buitoni, Nestlé USA, Consumer Services Center, P.O. Box 2178, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania 18703

1203. POT ROAST smothered in BACON and ONIONS

serves 6


3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
One 2 1/2-pound beef chuck roast, tied at 1-inch intervals
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
3 pounds onions, very thinly sliced
12 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/4 cups water
20 whole allspice berries
10 black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
3 cups dry white wine
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

In a large, enameled cast-iron casserole, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the bacon and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until most of the fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.

Using a sharp knife, carefully cut the roast between the strings into four 1-inch-thick slabs. Season the meat with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, cook the meat in the casserole over moderately high heat, turning once, until browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a large plate. Lower the heat to moderate for the second batch if the butter begins to brown too quickly. Remove the strings, keeping the steaks intact, if possible.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Add the onions, garlic, 1/4 cup of the water and 1 teaspoon of salt to the casserole. Cook over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom of the casserole, about 8 minutes. Transfer half of the onions to a plate. Stir the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter into the onions in the casserole. Nestle the steaks into the onions, overlapping them slightly if necessary. Add the allspice berries, peppercorns, crushed red pepper and bay leaf and lay half of the reserved bacon over the steaks. Spread the remaining onions and bacon on top. Add the wine and the remaining 1 cup of water and bring to a simmer, then cover and cook over moderately high heat for 5 minutes.

Transfer the casserole to the oven and cook for 30 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 250° and continue braising for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the steaks are very tender. Turn the oven off, uncover the casserole and let the meat stand in the oven for 30 minutes. Serve the meat and onions in deep plates; spoon the sauce on top and sprinkle with the parsley.


courtesy of: Stanley Lobel / "America's Best Butchers Talk Shop," Food & Wine, October 2005

1202. STUFFED CAPSICUM with BACON and MUSHROOMS

3 green capsicums
6 oz bacon, finely chopped
4 oz mushrooms, sliced and lightly fried in butter
1 teaspoon grated onion
salt and pepper to taste
dried breadcrumbs
butter

Halve the capsicums lengthwise. Remove seeds. Mixe together the chopped bacon, fresh breadcrumbs, fried mushrooms and grated onions. Season to taste. Divide equally and stuff the capsicum. Sprinkle with dried breadcrumbs and top with a few dots of butter. Bake at 180 C for 15 minutes. Serve with your favorite sauce.


courtesy of: Chili Wonders, chili@chiliwonders.com

1201. EDAM, BACON and SUNDRIED TOMATO MUFFINS

makes 10 muffins


3½oz. smoked back bacon rashers
10oz. plain flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4oz. Edam cheese, grated
2¾oz. sundried tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly snipped chives
2 eggs
7 fl oz. semi-skimmed milk
2¾oz. butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line a muffin tin with 10 paper muffin cases. Grill the bacon until crispy and chop into pieces. In a large bowl, sift together flour and baking powder.

Stir the sugar, salt, three quarters of the cheese, bacon, sundried tomatoes and chives into the flour mixture and mix well.

In another bowl, beat together the eggs, milk and melted butter and pour over the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined, the batter will be lumpy. Fill the muffin cases and sprinkle the tops with the reserved Edam. Bake for 20-25 minutes until risen and firm. Delicious eaten warm or cold.


courtesy of: Edam Made, Beattie Communications, 4 Great James Street, London WC1N 3DB, 020 7053 6020

1200. GRATIN of BELGIAN ENDIVE with APPLEWOOD SMOKED BACON

makes 8 servings


4 strips Applewood smoked bacon, cut in 2-inch strips
3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
3 cups chicken stock or broth, plus more as needed
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 medium onion, diced
2 tablespoons sugar
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
8 whole Belgian endive
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup plus 1 to 2 tablespoons grated Gruyere cheese
1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
3 large egg yolks

In a medium skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon strips until they are evenly browned and the fat has been rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a small bowl. Add the parsley and set aside. (If making in advance, cover and refrigerate.)

In a pot large enough to hold the endive in a single layer, add the chicken stock or broth, carrot, celery, onion and sugar and the salt and pepper to taste and bring the stock to a simmer over low heat. Place the endive in the pot in a single layer, adding more stock, if necessary, to cover it.

Brush a large sheet of parchment paper with 1 tablespoon of the butter and place it, buttered side down, directly on top of the endive. Simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until the endive is soft when tested with a knife. Using tongs, transfer the endive to a medium-large baking dish in a single layer or eight individual ovenproof dishes and set aside to cool.

If making in advance, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before proceeding.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the flour and stir to combine, without letting the mixture brown. Add the milk and stir constantly until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Add the Gruyere and mustard, stirring to combine. Strain the sauce mixture through a sieve into a medium bowl, add the egg yolks and stir to combine.

Pour the sauce over the endive and sprinkle with the remaining 1 to 2 tablespoons Gruyere. Bake for 10 minutes, then broil until the cheese is browned, about 3 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with bacon-parsley mixture. Serve hot.


courtesy of: The Washington Post, November 16, 2005. Adapted from Robert Wiedmaier, chef and owner of Marcel's in the West End