Simple Recipes Using Bacon

Bacon does rule, ask any Chef. Pigs are afraid of us, fearing we are coming around to maybe size them up for some new recipe ideas.Nothing beats a good pork roast except for bacon. Within the last few years bacon has taken on some new dimensions in the culinary arena. Their are many new variations, that are used among chefs that like working with it . Not only as a flavor enhancement, but also giving an entree, or salad, more definition to the end result. What people don’t realize, is bacon is now making its way into the mainstream of desert tables. I was just as amazed and perhaps a little hesitant before allowing bacon to satisfy my sweet tooth. Yet its being used as a grand finale to a great entree.

My first experience was with chocolate covered bacon, dredged in a toasted hazelnut. Shaking my head in disbelief at first, I was pleasantly surprised on how good it really was. I started to examine ways I could possibly use bacon more often in my menu selections. Then it hit me, lets use the chocolate covered bacon with the toasted hazelnut crunch as a garnish to a dish of ice cream. Although a good idea, it was still missing something. So I decided to make a drizzled caramel basket to fit over the ice cream. I garnished the ice cream with the chocolate covered bacon slice sticking out from the ice cream, I put this on a large colored plate (larger than the scooped ice cream) and then drizzled some chocolate sauce around the outside of the plate and sprinkled some extra chopped toasted hazelnuts all around. I have to tell you it was one heck of a screaming desert, and so easy to do. Making the chocolate covered bacon is simple, real simple. I like to use the thick cuts of low sodium bacon. I bake it till its crisp, but not burnt. Burning bacon for deserts just wont cut it. I’m telling you this from experience. Fully cooked, nice and crisp and not burnt is considered ideal to work with. After the bacon has been cooled, I dip it into melted milk chocolate and then I press fine chopped hazelnuts on both sides. I press the chopped nuts onto the bacon slice as if I was breading a piece of chicken. I flash chill it in the refrigerator to harden the chocolate. You can eat the finished product or use it as a garnish, like I do.

You will find many chefs using bacon drippings as a flavoring component to their entree’s. I despise using processed bacon bits,that are traditionally used on salads. It reminds me of loose gravel . Lately I have been driving my wife crazy, with all the bacon that’s in the freezer.She simply doesn’t understand my passion for using it in my recipes. Chopped bacon in cheddar flavored popcorn is a real hit for Monday night football .Another favorite is. puff pastry, cut into three inch squares and stuffed with a tablespoon of tightly made mashed potatoes that has been flavored with fine chopped bacon bits and shredded cheddar. After that, it’s baked till the puff pastry is fully cooked. This is killer for a cocktail party.You may even want to try this sometime: Sweet rolls with an orange and bacon glaze. This is great with a good cup of coffee, especially when the sun comes up..Putting a little piece of bacon on top a chocolate chip cookie prior to baking is fantastic, and making its way into the culinary world. I like to also make a real nice blue cheese dressing with fresh bacon bits in it. This is excellent too on a burger..

My favorite entree tha I incorporate bacon in, outside of the traditional dishes, such as Jambalaya or Spanish Paella, is a stuffed tenderloin with gorgonzola cheese, saute fresh spinach and bacon. This is really an easy one to do. I simply butterfly the tenderloin 4/5 of the way open, and then I pack the inside cavity with gorgonzola, spinach and crispy bacon slices. I then tie the tenderloin, so the filling wont leak out in the cooking process. I sear the steak on a hot grill for nice grill marks, and then I finish it off in a 350 degree oven. I cook it till the internal temperature of the meat is,155 degrees . This brings the degree of doneness to a level between medium rare to slightly medium. Oh yes ! Remember to snip off the strings, when the meat is cooled and rested. You need to let the meat sit for awhile, before your ready to slice it. What a nice presentation it makes. A nice lightly pink slice of meat with this colorful center, sure to be enjoyed by most steak lovers..

So if you ever get to a point where you find that maybe your missing that one special ingredient, maybe it’s because You ain’t making Bacon !