3829. CITRUS PRAWN CEVICHE with BACON DUST

Makes: 6 as canapés or 4 as starters


200 g small prawns, deveined and shelled
1 spring onion, finely chopped
½ tsp (2.5 ml) chillies, finely chopped
¼ tsp (1.25 ml) smoked paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
zest and juice of 1 orange
zest and juice of 1 grapefruit
1 orange segmented
3 Tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice
½ C (125 ml) coriander leaves, chopped
1 avocado, diced
2 Tbsp (30 ml) cultured cream
6 slices streaky bacon, fried until crispy and finely chopped
micro herbs, for garnish

Toss the prawns, spring onion, chillies, paprika, cayenne pepper, orange juice and zest, grapefruit juice and zest, orange segments and lemon juice together. Place in the fridge for 20-30 minutes. The acidity of citrus juices will ‘cook’ the prawns. They are ready once they are firm and opaque in colour. Stir in the coriander and diced avocado. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, use a slotted spoon to spoon the mixture into serving glasses. Add a spoonful or two of the citrus liquid. Add a dollop of cultured cream, some bacon bits and garnish with micro herbs.


bacon recipe source: Illanique Van Aswegen, Crush Magazine (@crush_online), (Issue 47), 5th Floor Jaga House, 61 Wale Street, Cape Town, South Africa, 8001

2956. SWEET CORN BEIGNETS with BACON-SUGAR DUST

yields four dozen

1 package (1/4 ounce) active dry yeast 

1 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°) 

1-1/4 cups fresh or frozen corn, thawed 

1/4 cup sugar 

2 eggs 

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups confectioners' sugar

6 cooked bacon strips

Oil for deep-fat frying

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add the corn, sugar, eggs, butter, salt, vanilla and 4-1/2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine confectioners' sugar and bacon. Process until combined; set aside. Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; roll into a 16-in. x 12-in. rectangle. Cut into 2-in. squares.  In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry squares, a few at a time, until golden brown, about 1-1/2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Dust with bacon-sugar mixture. Serve warm.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Country Woman, February/March 2012, page 45

2547. BELGIAN FRIES with BACON DUST and CHIPOTLE MAYO DIPPING SAUCE

3-4 cups vegetable oil, for frying
2 lb. potatoes, peeled, rinsed and dried
1 lb. bacon
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 chipotle pepper, chopped
2 drops Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon cumin

For the french fries: Pour enough oil into a deep fryer or deep sauce pan to reach at least halfway up the sides of the pan,but not more than three-quarters of the way up. Heat the oil to 325 degrees. 

Cut the potatoes into sticks 1/2 inch wide and 2 1/2 to 3 inches long. Dry all the pieces thoroughly in a clean dish towel. This will keep th oil from splattering. Divide the potato sticks into batches of no more than 1 cup each. Do not fry more than one batch at a time. 

When the oil has reached the desired temperature, fry the potatoes for 4 to 5 minutes per batch. They should be lightly colored, but not browned. If your fryer has a basket, simply lift it out the remove the fried potatoes. Otherwise, use a long-handled skimmer to lift out the potatoes. Be sure to bring the temperature of the oil back to 325°F in between batches. At this point the fries can rest for several hours at room temperature until you are almost ready to serve them. 

For the second frying: Heat the oil to 325°F. Fry the potatoes in 1-cup batches until they are nicely browned and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain on fresh paper towels or brown paper bags and place in a warmed serving bowl lined with more paper towels. Sprinkle with bacon dust and serve with the chipotle mayo dipping sauce and/or ketchup. 

For the Bacon Dust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a tray with parchment paper, then line each slice of bacon on tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp and dry. 

Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and allow to cool. Crumble and put in the food processor and pulverize into a fine consistency. 

Put fries, in batches, in paper bag with portions of the bacon dust and shake to coat. 

For the Chipotle Mayo: Combine mayo, chipotle pepper, Tabasco, cumin & adobe sauce, or if you can the chipotle peppers already in a can in the Mexican food section of your grocery store, you can use that. 

bacon recipe courtesy of: Mary Beam, Westbrook, Maine, for Just a Pinch Recipe Club

2407. ENDIVE "CHIPS" with BLUE CHEESE DIP and BACON DUST

serves ten


2 strip of bacon (2 oz.)
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pepper
endive leaves

Chop bacon and cook in a frying pan (not nonstick) over high heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel. Pulse in a food processor to make fine crumbs; put in serving bowl. In another bowl, mix yogurt, gorgonzola cheese, 1/2 teaspoon rosemary and pepper. Sprinkle with an additional 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary. Pile endive leaves in a wide bowl; serve with dip and bacon dust.


bacon recipe courtesy of: "Retro Punch Party," Sunset, December 2011, page 75