3580. BACON-WRAPPED MONKFISH with PEAS, RADISHES and SALSA VERDE

makes four servings


2 lbs cleaned monkfish tail
2 sheets thinly sliced bacon
2 cups English peas, blanched
1 cups spring radishes, quartered and blanched
2 each romaine lettuce, chiffonade
¼ cup chopped tarragon
¼ cup chopped chives
½ cup chopped parsley
2 sprigs thyme
1 clove garlic
Zest of one lemon
1 lemon, juiced
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
4 tablespoons butter

Lay out the bacon on a piece of plastic wrap, next put the monkfish on the bacon, season with salt and pepper, and roll up tying the ends of the plastic wrap. Poach the monkfish in a pot of simmering water for 8 minutes. Take the monkfish out of the plastic wrap, heat up a sauté pan, coat with oil, then add the fish, 2 tablespoons butter, 2 springs of thyme and one clove of garlic, cook at 375ºF for 7 minutes.

In a separate pan, add 2 tablespoons of butter, the peas, radishes, the romaine and some chopped red onion and sauté. For the salsa verde, mix the tarragon, chives, parsley, lemon and olive oil. Reserve for plating.


bacon recipe source: Gavin Kaysen, Today, April 24, 2015

3428. BAKED GRAVENSTEIN APPLE with BACON, CORNBREAD and PORCINI STUFFING

15 grams dried porcini mushrooms (about ½ oz.)
¼ cup boiling water
½ cup cornbread crumbles
2 strips applewood bacon
2 green onions
½ stalk celery, small dice
1 leaf fresh sage, chiffonade
6 Gravenstein apples
1 stick butter, salted
1 tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon sugar

Soak porcini mushrooms in boiling water. Once softened, remove mushrooms from water, reserving water, and chop into a small dice.

Toast cornbread crumbles in a 350 degree oven until lightly browned (about 8 minutes).

Cut bacon crosswise into ¼ inch sections and render in a skillet over medium heat until crispy.
Remove bacon from pan, reserving the fat in the pan.

Cut green onions into ⅛ inch rings, separating green tops from white bases. Sauté white sections of onions with chopped celery and mushrooms in the reserved bacon fat over medium heat until slightly softened (about 2 minutes). Remove from heat.

Fold toasted cornbread, sage and reserved mushroom liquid into sauté pan and season with salt and pepper to taste.

To assemble apples, using an apple corer, remove cores of all six apples. Cut ¼-inch off of the top of each apple. With a small spoon, carve out the center of each apple three-quarters of the way down, leaving ½-inch sidewalls. Rub apples inside and out with butter and sprinkle with sugar and salt. Fill apples with the stuffing and bake on a sheet pan at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until apples soften.


bacon recipe source: Brandon Guenther, Rocker Oysterfeller's, 14415 Shoreline Hwy, Valley Ford, CA 94972; via Sonoma County Tourism, 3637 Westwind Blvd, Santa Rosa, CA 95403, August 8, 2013

2994. SWORDFISH with OLIVE-RAISIN TAPENADE with BROCCOLINI and BACON

yields four servings


1 cup olives, chopped
½ cup raisins, plumped in hot water
½ cup tomatoes, small diced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chiffonade
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chiffonade
4 oz olive oil
2 oz balsamic vinegar
¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
salt and pepper, to taste

Broccolini:
2 bunches broccolini, cleaned
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 oz olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Eggplant Puree:
3 eggplants, whole
1 lemon, juiced
3 oz olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Swordfish:
4 (6 oz) swordfish fillets 
olive oil, to coat
salt and pepper, to taste

For the Olive and Raisin Tapenade: Toss together ingredients and season to taste.

For the Broccolini: Blanch broccolini in salted water, shock in ice bath, and drain off excess water. Heat sauté pan with olive oil and slightly brown garlic. Add broccolini and heat through. Season with salt and pepper.

For the Eggplant Puree: Char eggplant over open grill until soft. Peel skin off eggplant and put in food processor. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Blend until smooth. Mix in bowl with basil and mint.

For the Swordfish: Season swordfish with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Sear until golden on both sides. Let rest.

To Plate: Place broccolini on plate. Make a line of eggplant puree. Lay swordfish across both. Top with tapenade.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Tiffany Derry, Top Chef, Season 7, Episode 7 

2890. HALIBUT with YUZU and BACON AIOLI

quarter pound halibut, sushi grade, sliced into 2-inch by 1-inch pieces

1 cup bacon, rendered & fat reserved

1 egg yolk

1.5 tablespoons yuzu

1 tablespoon shallots, minced

1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon parsley fluid gel or purée

salt and pepper, to taste
 
scallion, chiffonade for garnish
 
seaweed chiffonade for garnish

To make aioli, whisk the yolk in a bowl until frothy. In a steady stream, add bacon fat to create an emulsification. Once thickened, add bacon bits, Yuzu, and shallots. Fold in cilantro. Adjust seasoning. Arrange fish on plate and drizzle with sauce, garnish with parsley, scallions and seaweed.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Josie Smith-Malave, Top Chef, Season 10, Episode 12, Bravo TV

2889. SHRIMP TEMPURA with BACON TRUFFLE EMULSION

yields 24 servings

Bacon Truffle Emulsion:

1 pound smoked bacon
5 cups chicken stock
5 ounces unsalted butter
5 tablespoons white truffle oil
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Shrimp Tempura:

3 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut in half lengthwise, leaving tail on one piece 

tempura batter, prepared according to package directions
salt and pepper
oil for deep-frying
truffle salt
1/4 cup scallion oil (recipe below)
microplaned yuzu zest, as needed
micro chervil, parsley and shiso, as needed
shiso chiffonade

To make scallion oil, in blender, purée until smooth 1 ounce chopped scallions (white and green parts), 1/4 cup canola oil and a pinch of salt. (Yield: 1/4 cup) 

To make bacon truffle emulsion, chop bacon into 1/2-inch pieces. Sauté bacon until almost crispy. Drain fat and reserve; mince bacon pieces. In small saucepan, bring stock, bacon and 1 cup bacon fat to a simmer. Remove pan from heat; let steep for 10 minutes. Strain into another saucepan, pushing on bacon bits to extract flavor. Add butter and truffle oil; blend with handheld immersion blender. Set aside for service or refrigerate, covered, until needed. (Yield: 6 cups)

For each serving, to order, lightly season 2 ounces shrimp with salt and pepper. Dip in tempura batter; fry in hot (375°F) oil. When shrimp is half done, drizzle more tempura batter onto each piece of shrimp with your fingers; fry until crispy. Drain well; season lightly with truffle salt. Mound shrimp in bowl. Froth 1/4 cup truffle emulsion with immersion blender. Spoon some of the liquid from the emulsion around the shrimp but not on top. Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon scallion oil. Spoon froth from emulsion over shrimp. Quickly add remaining garnishes; serve immediately. 

bacon recipe courtesy of: Chef Tim Cushman, o ya, 9 East Street Place, Boston, MA

2425. CHIFFONADE of BRUSSELS SPROUTS with DICED BACON and HAZELNUTS

serves 8-10


2 lb. Brussels sprouts
3 slice bacon, finely diced
1/2 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Trim the stem ends of the Brussels sprouts and remove any yellow or spotted outer leaves. Cut the Brussels sprouts into 1/16-inch slices, and use your fingertips to separate the slices into shreds. Alternatively, shred the Brussels sprouts using a food processor with the coarse shredding disk attached. Place in a bowl and set aside until ready to saute.

Heat a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside. Reserve the bacon fat in the pan.

Just before serving, reheat the bacon fat until hot and add the Brussels sprouts to the pan. Saute until crisp-tender and bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the bacon, hazelnuts, salt, and pepper, and mix thoroughly. Taste and adjust the seasonings, and serve.


bacon recipe courtesy of: The Thanksgiving Table: Recipes and Ideas to Create Your Own Holiday Tradition by Diane Morgan. Page. 120. Chronicle Books, 2001