Not too long ago, a reader came to us with the idea that we should write a bacon book. You know, a book about bacon. We tossed around a few ideas that all centered around bacon and books and how to combine them into a book about bacon but we haven’t nailed down a bacon book concept just yet.
Today we received an email from Boss Hog over at BaconFreak.com announcing that he’s released the first edition of his Bacon Cookbook. What better book about bacon could there be than a bacon book that helps you cook the meat candy?
According to the web site (with the oh-so-catchy URL of BaconCookbook.com) they’ve got recipes from some renowned chefs that will help you get your bacon fix for breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers, and even bacon desserts.
We got a chance to peek at the bacon cookbook ahead of time and were impressed with the quality of the bacon recipes included in the book. Don’t be surprised if you see a couple examples of bacon dishes we test out here at Bacon Today. We’re planning to cook up a few of the meals to give them the official Bacon Today taste test.
The Bacon Freak Bacon Cookbook is available in both downloadable PDF and paperback formats. Head on over to BaconCookbook.com and get your copy today!
Chicago-area confectioner Ginna Haravon has created a sweet and salty bacon-infused dessert that we are definitely going to try. Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corn is a handmade treat that is now available to the public. Ginna creates each batch with care and precision using her original caramel recipe along with just the right selection of bacon and a dash of salt.
To an American, there’s little else more exotic than Europeans. They live far away across a big pool of water. They speak in interesting accents that make them sound educated and worldly wise. And quite often, they do it all with pictures.
Americans tend to be very wordy. We like to describe everything in great detail so that everyone knows exactly what’s going on and nobody can get sued. One trip to Ikea changes all of that, though. Their instruction manuals are designed for any person speaking any language. By simply showing us the cartoony exploits of an often frustrated man with rounded corners and a curious (but dedicated) attitude, we’re able to assemble anything from a chair to a bunk bed with just a screwdriver, an allen wrench and some time.
Which brings us to Arnstein M., who sent us an email to say that he had made chocobacon. Now, chocolate covered bacon is nothing new to BT – we’ve covered it many times before. But Arnstein’s pictoral recipe of his Nordic (or Swiss?) chocolate covered bacon is so beautiful in its simplicity, that we just had to share it with you.
Once again, the power of our Readers’ palettes has proven to be a valuable source of new reading material. Becca R. is a bit of a chef, and she has whipped up an amazing recipe for bacon apple crumble pie that we wanted to share with you today. Unfortunately, she didn’t send us any pictures, but YOU can help with that. If you get creative and make her recipe, just snap a shot and email it to us at bacontoday[at]gmail[dot]com. We just might post your photos in a future article.
– Mr. B
BACON CRUMBLE APPLE PIE
1/2 lb sliced bacon
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon peel, grated(OPTIONAL)
1 (9 inch) store-bought pie shells, prebaked according to package directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp; remove bacon., and crumble o not drain fat!
(I altered the recipe and i sauteed the apples in the bacon grease briefly , just to add that extra baconness)
In medium bowl, combine the flour and brown sugar, add the butter and, using your fingers, incorporate the butter until the mixture is crumbly.
Stir in the bacon and cheese; refrigerate.
Line a baking sheet with foil.
In medium bowl, toss the apples with the granulated sugar (if you choose to use lemon, add now, i personally did not)
Transfer to the pie shell and sprinkle with the topping.
Place the pie on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Cover loosely with foil and bake until golden and the apples are tender when pierced, 40-45 minutes.(if you choose the saute the apples in the bacon grease you shoul turn the Oven Temp to 425 degreese and you only need to bake the pie for 20 minutes, becuase the apples are more tender, but play aroun with it, see what you like!)
Let cool before serving.
Thanks BaconToday, this site always brightens my day, and I hope this recipe will brighten someone else’s day.
Frequent contributor Mike G. sent us this link to an article about 100 ways to use a strip of bacon. The article is handily presented as a picture grid of each use of the candy of meats with links through each picture to the blog or website that wrote about it. Many of the subjects found in that article have been covered in past BT articles, and at least one of them (bacon cinnamon rolls) was invented by BT’s Corey James.
Articles like “100 ways” just melt the congealed bacon fat in our hearts. It’s so wonderful to see the community of worldwide bacon lovers continue to grow and flourish out there on the series of tubes that we all spend so much time exploring.
I heard a rumor that something amazing had been created at the Anchor Bar in Superior, Wisconsin along the south shore of Lake Superior. I was up in the area so I called up the creator (my buddy MattO) and asked him to introduce me to his little invention called The Pancacke Breakfast — a shot of alcohol that tastes like a plate of syrupy pancakes with a side of bacon.
Honestly, I was quite skeptical that the shot would taste anything like pancakes. The ingredients were a secret and all I knew that a tasty strip of bacon was used as garnish. The lovely ladies of the Anchor Bar, Shayla and Bobbie, were ready to introduce me to the new drink and MattO was right there to down the Pancake Breakfast Shot with me.
I watched the preparation of the Pancake Breakfast Shot and was able to jot down what I think is the secret forumla:
50% Butterscotch Liquor
50% Strawberry Schnapps
One tasty strip of bacon
Leave the bacon in the drink for a few mintues to let the flavor soak in and that’s it. I hear it can be served chilled or at room temperature — I tried the latter.
After watching the preparation I remained completely skeptical. How could three simple incredients taste like one of America’s favorite meals? I was about to find out as MattO and I tipped our heads back and pounded down the shots.
WOW! As soon at the Pancacke Breakfast Shot hit my tounge my eyes opened wide. I was pouring a syrupy pancacke into my mouth and munching on a piece of bacon. The Anchor Bar staff got a good chuckle as I stood there completely shocked. MattO has definitely invented a winner here. I give it an off-the-charts Smaste™ rating of 53.228!!!
People, you need to do one of two things and both of them involve getting up off your butt and heading out the door. 1) Get over to the Anchor Bar and have a Pancacke Breakfast Shot at the source or 2) Grab the incredients and make your own Pancake Breakfast Shot. Either way, please take some pictures, shoot some video, and write us to let us know what you think. We’ll be publishing a follow-up article in late November with your stories.
Bacon Today reader Becca R. shares with us her recipe for Maple Bacon Cupcakes. If you make these let us know how they turn out and take some photos to share with the world!
Bacon Maple Cupcakes
Ingredients
* 4 1/2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
* 1/2 tablespoon bacon drippings (left in the fridge to become solid)
* 1 egg
* 5 tablespoons brown sugar
* 4 tablespoons maple syrup
* 1 1/4 cups self rising flour
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* tiny tiny pinch kosher salt
* 1/4 cup milk
* 1/4 cup of minced bacon, cooked and drained
What you’ll do–
* 1) Cook some bacon in a fry pan (about 6 thick strips). Reserve the drippings and place in the fridge to solidify. Mince 1/4 a cup of the bacon. The chef should eat whatever is left to assure that the bacon is tasty.
* 2) Beat the crud out of the butter and solidified bacon fat ’till light and creamy. Add the brown sugar and maple syrup and beat well until combined.
* 3) Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
* 4) Sift the flour, salt, baking soda and powder together.
* 5) Add some of the flour and mix, then some of the milk, then continue to alternate the dry and wet ingredients, ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in the bacon. Taste and add more maple syrup, flour, or milk if needed for desired taste. Keep in mind the maple frosting is very sweet, and to add in very small increments for alterations as maple syrup in large amounts can break a cake batter.
* 6) Scoop into cupcake papers and bake at 350 F for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Be sure to rotate the pan after the first 15 minutes for even baking.
Maple Syrup Frosting
Ingredients
* 4 tablespoons of butter.
* 2 tablespoons of maple syrup.
* 1 cup of powdered sugar.
* turbinado sugar (optional, but recommended).
* coarse grain sea salt (optional, but recommended).
What You’ll Do –
* Combine the syrup and butter until combined. Add the sugar, a bit at a time, and whip at high speeds until combined. Pipe or spread onto cupcakes. Sprinkle on sea salt and turbinado sugar for decoration and a lot of added flavor.
(add some crumbled BACON TOO!)
I try to avoid cliche and kitsch as a general rule in my life, but I do have a few exceptions that don’t follow any sort of hard and fast rule.
Today’s exception? Bacon Bark.
Anything that is called “bark” but is made to be edible is usually very cute. It generally has chocolate or toffee or peppermint or peanuts. It very rarely has actual wood. This is a good thing.
Today we have learned about bacon bark. according to packaging, it is comprised of “fresh pieces of crispy, crunchy, salty bacon smothered in Malley’s creamy smooth milk chocolate.”
If you’ve had the pleasure of bacon bark, please share your experience with us.
This year’s Los Angeles (LA) County Fair was a riot of food, fun, and festivities. A notable addition to the fair this year was the increasingly-popular chocolate dipped (AKA chocolate covered) bacon.
As I walked the fairgrounds I noticed no fewer than ten separate booths selling bacon covered in rich milk chocolate. After a day of walking around, seeing the sites, and riding the rides I decided it was time to give this treat a try. All the booths were selling the same variety of bacon and chocolate so I walked to the nearest booth and placed my order.
For $5.00 I was presented a small paper hot dog holder containing five large strips of bacon covered in rich chocolate. As I took the first bite a stranger walked up to me and asked “is that the chocolate bacon?”. I said “yes, would you like to try a piece.” To my surprise the man was a bacon lover and jumped at the chance for some free bacon.
I‘ll tell you what I told him though…it tasted great, until you got to the bacon. The stranger took a bite, gave me a funny look, and said “you know, you’re right. It’s great until the bacon.” I’m not sure if the problem was overly-rich chocolate, poor-quality bacon, or a combination of both but this chocolate covered bacon was definitely not a winner.
Save your 5 bucks and go for a ride on the Tilt-a-Whirl.
Bacon Today reader Paul S. spotted this sign at the Canadian National Exhibition on Saturday Aug 29. The “Ex” is a yearly fair. It’s 130 years old, the largest fair in Canada, and the fourth largest in North America, with over 1.3 millions visitors annually over its 18 day run every August.
The poster makes the bacon look mighty tasty but Paul said that “a long line-up prevented sampling.” We understand that it’s tough to wait in long lines but for chocolate covered bacon??? I think I’d wait hours.
Not too long ago, a reader came to us with the idea that we should write a bacon book. You know, a book about bacon. We tossed around a few ideas that all centered around bacon and books and how to combine them into a book about bacon but we haven’t nailed down a bacon book concept just yet.
