I love bacon. You love bacon. Admit it, we all love bacon. But some of us, well….has a love for bacon that should not be publicized. Especially in the form of unusual recipes for bacon.* And as much as I adore bacon (crispy-limp, hot in a BLT made with homegrown tomato and lettuce on toasted homemade bread….ahhhh!) I know that bacon does have it’s limits and those rabid bacon aficionados should respect those limits. It is, after all, only humane.
So, with the taste of cold bacon grease coating my tongue, I give you proof that some baconites have no shame:
Bacon Martini
Lightly mist martini glass with vermouth, and rim the edge with bacon grease.
In a cocktail shaker, mix 3oz vodka, one dash Tabasco, and one dash olive juice.
Shake well and strain into cocktail glass. Skim excess bacon grease from surface of cocktail.
Garnish with one slice of bacon.
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Bacon Wrapped Tofu
- 1 block firm tofu
- Several strips of bacon, depending on the size. A leaner type bacon is preferred. You can even use prosciutto.
- Optional: brown sugar, soy sauce
Drain the tofu, and wrap in several layers of paper towels. Place on a plate and put a board or another plate on top. Leave for a few minutes to drain some water out of the tofu. Unwrap and cut into bite sized pieces that are about the width of your bacon.
Wrap each piece in bacon, going around at least once so the ends overlap. You may need to cut the bacon.
Heat up a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Put the bacon wrapped tofu pieces with the overlapping edges side down. Cook until crisp, then turn. Keep cooking and turning until done on all sides.
A sweet-salty variation is to add a little bit of soy sauce to the pan, and a sprinkle (maybe about 2 tsp.) of brown sugar; stir rapidly to melt the sugar, then turn the bacon-tofu in the sauce until the moisture has largely evaporated.
Eat hot or at room temperature, preferably with plain rice as part of a Japanese meal. Also a nice appetizer or sake drinking accompaniment.
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Candied Bacon Ice Cream
3/4 quart
Ingredients
5 slices bacon
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons salted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 3/4 cups half-and-half
5 large egg yolks
2 teaspoons dark rum or whiskey
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
1 To candy the bacon, preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
2 Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil,shiny side down.
3 Sprinkle 1½-2 teaspoons of brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon, depending on
length.
4 Bake for 12-16 minutes.
5 Midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet.
6 Continue to bake until as dark as mahogany.
7 Remove from oven and cool the strips on a wire rack.
8 Once crisp and cool, chop into little pieces, about the size of grains of rice.
9 (Bacon bits can be stored in an airtight container and chilled for a day or so, or stored in the freezer a few weeks ahead.).
10 To make the ice cream custard, melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan.
11 Stir in the brown sugar and half of the half-and-half.
12 Pour the remaining half-and-half into a bowl set in an ice bath and set a mesh strainerover the top.
13 In a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm brown sugar mixture to them, whisking the yolks constantly as you pour.
14 Pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
15 Cook over low to moderate heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.
16 Strain the custard into the half-and-half, stirring over the ice bath, until cool.
17 Add liquor, vanilla and cinnamon, if using.
18 Refrigerate the mixture.
19 Once thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’sinstructions.
20 Add the bacon bits during the last moment of churning, or stir them in when you removethe ice cream from the machine.
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Bacon Crumble Apple Pie
Ingredients:
1/2 lb bacon
1/2 c flour
1/2 c brown sugar
3 Tbl cold butter or margarine, cut into small cubes
1/2 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
Directions:
In medium bowl mix together flour and brown sugar, then work in the butter until crumbly.
Mix in bacon crumbles and cheddar cheese; refrigerate.
1 frozen 9″ pie shell
3 medium Golden Delicious Apples, peeled and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1/4 c sugar
1 1/2 tsp finely shredded lemon peelPre-bake pie shell at 400 d for 7 minutes, remove from oven.
Mix together apples, sugar, and lemon peel, put into pie shell (you may have to pack it a little).
Top with bacon crumble topping.
Cover loosely with foil and bake at 400 d for 40-50 minutes or until browned and bubbly. Let cool, then refrigerate before serving.
Scottish Bacon Clapshot
(hey, I didn’t name it. May be one of the reasons Scotland is the World Power it is)
- 1 1/3 pounds potato, peeled and quartered
- 2/3 pound turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup milk
- 8 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 1 pinch ground nutmeg
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Place the potatoes and turnips in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Drain the potatoes and turnips, return them to the saucepan and mash until creamy. Add the butter and milk and beat until fluffy. Stir in the crumbled bacon and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
* I’ve made the Bacon Crumble Apple Pie, and it was not that bad. The other recipes, well, will have to wait. Except the Bacon Martini. I’ll be making that one soon as I run out of bacon to add to it.
Joanie Finds Her Purpose 