Beer-Candied Bacon

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Beer-Candied Bacon

I had my first taste of beer-candied bacon on a burger at my other favorite local brewpub, Evolution’s Public House. While I don’t really remember anything remarkable about the burger itself, that beer-candied bacon really resonated with me. And, I tucked it away in the “make sure to try at home” file.

So, when I went into bacon-hoarding overdrive during the Holidays – and had about three pound in the fridge after Christmas, I decided to give the beer-candied bacon thing a go to have for New Year’s Eve munching. Takes less than 1 minute to throw the glaze together, then some cooking time in the oven. Which, by the way, if you haven’t been cooking bacon in your oven you’re missing out. No grease splatter, no bacon sticking to the pan, no more uneven cooking. Just perfectly crisp bacon, every time. If you line a baking pan with aluminum foil, it’s super-easy cleanup too!

With the playoff games ahead of us, as well as Super Bowl, these sweet and salty little bites of heaven would “drop the bomb” on anyone who tried them.  I served them in my favorite pint glass (yes, that’s a honey badger) which I thought was cute. It was almost like a bouquet of bacon; there’s an idea for Valentine’s Day, ladies! I used a stout for the glaze, but I think that most beers (maybe aside from an IPA) would work for this application. It’s a quick and easy appetizer that’s so fun and different – a great start to the new year in my book!

Beer-Candied Bacon

1 lb thick-cut, high quality bacon
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp beer (I used Dogfish Head’s Chicory Stout)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine brown sugar and beer in a small bowl, whisking well to form a thin syrup. Set aside.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place a wire cooling rack on top. Place the pieces of bacon on top of the rack, overlapping if necessary. Place in oven and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush one side of the bacon with the beer syrup. Flip, and coat the other side with the syrup as well. Return to oven and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and repeat process another time or two more, until bacon is crispy and browned, and you’ve used all the glaze.

Cool on wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.

Source: adapted from Oskar Blues Brewery

baconstoutchocolatecheesecake-150x150

 

I made this beer-candied bacon to go in conjunction with a Bacon Stout Chocolate Cheesecake. If you’re into the idea of beer and bacon, make sure to check it out here!

 

 

Homemade Pan Pizza

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Pan PizzaPan pizza is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. But, so often when it comes from a chain in a pizza box – it’s a grease festival. I first made this recipe years ago, when I saw it on Alex Guarnaschelli’s show (love her!) and it was an immediate hit with our family.

The crust is thick and chewy, as well as crispy. Can hold up to any toppings you throw on it. And, isn’t effusively greasy. The crust just absorbs the olive oil to create a wonderfully flavored crust. I went all out fake out take-out style here, creating our own meat lover’s pizza at home. Bacon, ham, and pepperoni – we’ve dubbed it “Porkapalooza”.

Our family never gets tired of pizza night, and this is something different to throw into the rotation. A little more heartier of a pizza for these cold winter months we have ahead of us!

Homemade Pan Pizza

1 batch pizza dough (enough for two 12-inch pizzas)
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
8 oz whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
Additional toppings (I used pepperoni, ham, and bacon – it’s been dubbed “Porkapalooza”)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

In a 12 inch round cast iron skillet, heat about 4 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Using your hands, gently stretch out your pizza dough to a 12-inch circle. Carefully transfer it to the hot skillet, being careful not to burn yourself. Use a spatula to press gently on the top of the round to keep it relatively flat as it cooks. Cook for 3 minutes.

When you see it is slightly brown on the underside, season the top lightly with salt and flip. Remove from heat. Spread about 3/4 cup sauce evenly over the dough. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Then, top with whatever toppings you like. Place in pre-heated oven for about 10 minutes or so, until cheese is nice and melty.

Repeat with remaining dough and topping. Slice and serve.

Source: adapted from Alex Guarnaschelli

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette

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I first had this salad at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse several years ago, and was completely blown away. I’d never had a salad that was served with a warm dressing, much less one that had a bunch of bacon drippings added to the mix. It’s just enough to barely wilt the spinach, red onions, and thinly sliced mushrooms.

It couldn’t be any easier to make at home either, and makes for a wonderful lunch or dressier side salad for dinner. I served it with alongside the French onion soup I made last week, and it was great. This is Alton Brown’s recipe (because you can never go wrong with AB), and it uses red wine vinegar. But, I’ve also used balsamic as well – and just cut out the sugar from the recipe. Hands down, my favorite salad. Make it!

Spinach Salad with Warm Bacon Vinagirette

8 ounces baby spinach, washed and drained
2 large eggs
8 pieces thick-sliced bacon, chopped
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 large white mushrooms, sliced
3 ounces red onion (1 small), very thinly sliced

Place the eggs into a small saucepan, cover with water, and place over medium-high heat with the lid on. Bring to boil. Once boiling, turn off heat and let sit covered for 12 minutes. Drain, cool, and peel the eggs. Slice egg and set aside.

While the eggs are cooking, fry the bacon and remove to a paper towel to drain, reserving 3 tablespoons of the rendered fat. Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Transfer the fat to a small saucepan set over low heat and whisk in the red wine vinegar, sugar and Dijon mustard. Season with a small pinch each of kosher salt and black pepper.

Add the mushrooms and the sliced onion to the spinach and toss. Add the dressing and bacon and toss to combine. Divide the spinach between 4 plates or bowls and evenly divide the egg among them. Season with pepper, as desired. Serve immediately.

Source: Food Network

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

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Now that the cooler weather has settled in, I’m going to try to make a conscious effort to use my slow cooker more often. It’s so wonderful to put something in, switch it to “on” – and then hours later, a meal is hot and ready for you after a long day. My problem seems to be that I get in a rut with the recipes I make with it.

When Josie posted this a couple of weeks ago, I immediately put it on our menu plan for the following week. Couldn’t have been easier, and the results were phenomenal. A little bit of peeling and chopping, cooking the bacon, then sauteing the onion in some of the bacon drippings. That really helps to deepen and layer the flavors – something that’s not typically found in Crockpot recipes. Leave it to our friends at America’s Test Kitchen to share such a great recipe. I’ll definitely be adding their slow-cooker cookbook to my wishlist for Santa this year! Can’t wait to give some of the other recipes a try.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

8 slices bacon, chopped
1 large onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh thyme (or 1/2 tsp dried)
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 lbs Russet potatoes (about 6  medium), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sour cream
salt and pepper
sliced scallions, sliced

Cook the bacon in a large over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes.  Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and refrigerate until serving.  Pour off all but about 2 tablespoons of the fat.

Add the onion and cook over medium-high heat until softened and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and thyme, and season with salt and pepper, cook for an additional minute or so.  Add the flour, and allow to cook for a minute or so, whisking constantly. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.  Cook until the mixture is starting to thicken, then transfer to the slow cooker.

Stir in the remaining 3 cups of  broth, potatoes, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper into the slow cooker.  Cover and cook until the potatoes are tender, 6-8 hours on low (or 4 hours on high).

Transfer 3 cups of cooked potatoes to a medium bowl with the cream and mash until smooth using a potato masher.  Return the potatoes to the slow cooker, along with the shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.  Stir to combine and let the soup sit until heated through, about 10 minutes.

When ready to serve, microwave the bacon on the plate until hot and crispy, about 30 seconds.  Season the soup with salt and pepper.  Ladle into bowls and top with bacon, shredded cheese, and scallions.

Source: adapted from Slow Cooker Revolution via Pink Parsley