Who says?

There are few things in life more rewarding than a tasty breakfast. Sadly, for most of us I think, we tend to miss out on the many joys offered by this one meal. The type of brekfast I'm referring to isn't the one doused in milk or peeled back from a plastic container. Despite my love for scones and the warm goodness they entail, nor is it a warm scone with homemade gooseberry jam (maybe I'll share that with you later, this summer's favorite new treat).  Those are all well and good, but the kind of breakfast I'm reminescing about with you today is the super traditional, capital b, Breakfast.

Nothing quite beats the traditional breakfast. While I can't (and know very people who can) have the bacon or sausage, some form of of eggs, and pancakes or waffles every morning, there are some mornings where I pine and yearn for the extra twenty minutes to perfume the air with frying bacon and to sink my teeth into the paradoxical crispy chewyness of the perfect waffle.

When such yearnings strike, its rather uncommon to actually be able to live up to and enjoy them that morning. Usually, I've sacrificed said breakfast for an extra twenty minutes of sleep, or for an early start on the Saturday morning bustle, and I have a feeling most of you probably have too. Luckily however, no one ever said breakfast isn't just as good for dinner. Hence the inspiration, for these:

These my friends aren't any ordinary waffles. To make them into a meal almost all on their own (that pair quite nicely with a summer goat cheese and arugula salad oddly enough), these guys take some extra care and devotion. First, they require a perfectly cooked piece of bacon Now, I'm a crispy bacon girl. I love bacon, but any sign of chewyness and I've lost my appetite. With these though, it's important first and foremost to fry them until barely crisp, meaning that the very edges should be crisp all the way around and starting to darken slightly, the middle should be firming up, but you don't want the super crispness on its way to burnt texture. They'll cook a teeny bity more when you get them into the waffle iron ad you don't want bacon pebbles.

Second, is timing. Breakfast is all about timing. Waking up early enough. Cooking the eggs at the appropriate time so they don't become rubber. Cooking the waffles at the right time so they don't become soggy, etc. This dish is no different. So, you'll want to cook your bacon, leaving enough time for the pan to cool slightly.This will ensure you don't make scrambled eggs in the waffle batter later.

Last, is variety. We were lucky enough on a recent trek to Cleveland to score an assortment of cheddar cheese cubes. Although I had envisioned an awesome grilled cheese out of it, this proved to be even more rewarding, giving just the touch of variety in each bite to keep you wanting more.

Bacon Waffles with Apples and Cheddar

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups whole milk

2 large eggs

4 tbsp bacon grease, cooled

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

6-8 pieces of bacon cooked until almost crisp and crumbled 

4 oz assorted cheddar cheeses (white, smoked, sharp, etc). 

2 Apples, sliced thin*

1. Prepare bacon as described. 

2. Preheat waffle iron as needed. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. 

3. In a separate bowl, combine milk and eggs. Carefully whisk in melted butter and cooled bacon grease. 

4. Combine wet and dry ingredients, whisking to remove most lumps. 

5. Cook waffles per manufactures instructions, sprinkling with crumbled bacon before closing iron. 

6. When waffles are done, top with crumbled or shredded cheese while warm.

7. Top with apples.

* You can top the waffles with raw apples sliced thin for a fresher taste. For a truly decadent treat, saute them for a few minutes in the same pan you cooked the bacon in.

There's not much else to say here. It's simply a magical marriage of apple pie and cheddar, and a breakfast super waffle. Enjoy!

Cheesy Compensation

One day, we'll go on one of these series of vacations and either (a) write a post in advance and accurately schedule it, or (b) not let the two weeks pass without looking at the blog. One day. Doubtful, but one can hope I suppose. But nonetheless, when returning from trips often we find ourselves in a quandry.

One the one hand, a couple weeks of indulgent eating usually requires a week of boring super light meals to compensate for the excess of the last week or so. If included in this vacation series is a week of visiting family and a spectacular array of favorite meals, trips to favorite restaurants and of course a few infamous donuts however, it's probably time to lighten things up a bit. On the other hand however, after sampling dishes from Philadelphia's finest and rediscovering some of the dishes responsible for our love of all things food however, who wants a bland-boring-tasteless low calorie dish. No one. Your still holding on to the adventures undertaken by your palate and the memories you've just made. Hence, instead of a boring-back-from-vacation salad, we offer you instead a plate of these two dishes--a combination of vegetables and protein packed legumes to help you feel satisfied and a nice way to reminisce about recent adventures.

In case you are unfamiliar with the green snail shaped vegetable, these are the elusive fiddlehead ferns. In the US, fiddlehead ferns are typically found throughout the north east and new england states and harvested in early spring. How we managed to stumble across an abundance of these beauties in July I'm not entirely sure, but we wont complain! The fronds supposedly have a number of health benefits, including twice as much antioxidant power as blueberries. Be warned however, when undercooked they can not only be exceptionally bitter, but can also cause stomach troubles. Taste wise, they have a texture similar to asparagus, and while some describe the taste as similar too, we actually found the taste to be somewhat earthier. Most sources recommend blanching them in boiling water for two minutes twice if possible, but at least once. Once you've blanched them, quickly sauté with a little fat or oil, and season appropriately. Naturally, when trying to eat healthier or lighter we decide to use bacon for the oil or fat component and flavor. Maybe it all evens out in the end, but even if not the bacon provides a delicious depth of flavor somewhat reminiscent of southern style green beans and bacon that taste best only from a grandmothers table. 

Sautéd Fiddlehead Ferns

1/2 lb Fiddlead ferns, washed, long woody stems and dark spots removed.

2 Pieces of thick cut bacon

Salt & Pepper to Taste

Sufficient Water and Ice Water for Blanching

1. Clean fiddlehead ferns while bringing a large pot of water boil. Prepare ice bath. 

2. Once water is boiling, place fiddlehead ferns in water and return to a boil. Allow to cook for two minutes.Quickly drain and place ferns in ice bath to stop cooking. 

3. Change water and bring a second pot of water to a boil. Prepare second ice bath. Repeat step2.  

4. Once ferns are in second ice bath, fry bacon in heavy frying pan until crisp. Remove bacon and approx 1/3 of bacon grease and reserve and allow pan to cool slightly. Place ferns in warm grease and sauté over high heat until brown spots begin to appear. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Our other tastier dinner choice was a cheesy bacon and lentil dish reminiscent of mac & cheese. I know, you see bacon and mac & cheese and lighter options are not high up there on you initial thoughts. But, we consider this a better alternative. Instead of filling up on pasta, you get to feel up on the protein from the lentils with the smoky rewarding flavors of a bacon mac & cheese. For us, this dish reminded us vaguely of the truffled mac & cheese we devoured from Varga while in Philly.

Faux Mac & Cheese
1/2 Cup Split Orange Lentils, picked over and rinsed
3/4 Cup Water
2 Pieces of Crisped Bacon and approx 1 Tbsp of reserved bacon grease
1/2 Small Shallot, Minced
1 Garlic Clove
1/4 Onion Chopped
1/4 Cup Sharp Italian Cheese (i.e. Pecorino)
Salt & Pepper to Taste
1. In small saucepan, bring water to boil over medium high heat. Add lentils and bring to a boil. Cook for two minutes and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 15-20 minutes until tender.
2. Meanwhile, in skillet, sauté garlic, onion, and shallot in bacon grease until tender. 
3. Once lentils are tender, quickly add to skillet with garlic and onions and gently stir over low heat to combine. Add bacon, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm. 

No matter where your summer adventures may have taken you or may take you soon, consider keeping the adventures going when you return to your home kitchen! Enjoy!

Marching Through

So...before our big 24,24,24 dinner, we had managed to be somewhat consistent writing posts. After a week of hogging the computer before finals, and now starting to write final papers, I realize that if I don't post now, half the month will go by without a word from either of us. As I've mentioned before, while I'm busy and stressed I take a lot of baking breaks. So, given the chance we wont be doing much posting or commenting for the week, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what I would be and have already been doing.

With the cultural rise in interest in vegetarian, vegan, organic, and local lifestyles, there are now a lot more alternative recipes for sweets that are more 'friendly' to some of these different groups. When I was sorting through the pantry, I found a can of pumpkin I had reserved in anticipation of a Thanksgiving pumpkin shortage. It slowly migrated to the back behind cans of tomatoes, but was rescued to make a fudgy dark chocolate, vegan friendly cookies. For some time, as I spotted vegan bakeries popping up around Columbus, I was quite skeptical as to how, without butter, or eggs, a cookie could be a cookie, a brownie a brownie, etc etc. Then, I was fortunate enough to try half a cookie here, a brownie there, and even a piece of cake. Although my attempt with these cookies is nowhere near as good as any of those yet, and I would perhaps rethink the whole wheat flour choice in favor of whole wheat pastry flour or a whole wheat and oat flour combination, they were very rich, chewy fudgy chocolate cookies, perfect for a 3 am pick-me-up.

Double Dark Chocolate Cookies
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 oz dark chocolate chunks (about 1/2 of a 3.5 oz bar chopped)
1/3 cup + 1 tbsp pumpkin
1/4 Cup Maple Syrup
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp dark cocoa powder
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar to coat.
1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and maple syrup until smooth.
2. In separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Combine well.
3. Add dry mixture to wet mixture. Add chocolate chunks, fold to combine.
4. Scoop rounded tablespoons. Roll into balls, and dip in sugar to coat top. Place dough onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper and slightly flatten (these don't spread hardly at all). Cook 10-12 minutes.
5. Remove from oven. Cool on wire rack. Enjoy when cooled completely.

Moving away from the vegan friendly cookies, I've been using flax seed as an egg substitute quite frequently lately.  This somewhat middle ground bar cookie works well as a nice good morning breakfast treat. I think after a disappointing purchase of a bland, tasteless, cardboard like oat bar  from a campus coffee shop, I'm trying to make up with my own renditions. The fact that I don't spend much time rolling out the cookies, and they bake 30 instead of 8 minutes, is a plus too! The orange zest gives the bars a unique taste to compliment the incredible chewy but crumbly texture of the oat bar and bursts of tart sweetness from the cranberries. This was my second attempt at these (the first were gone too quick to get pictures), so I hope you can maybe find some use for them.

Cranberry Orange Oat Bars (Adapted from Quaker's Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe)
1/2 Cup Butter, softened
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1 tbsp ground flax seed dissolved in 3 tbsp water
1/2 tsp Orange Extract
1-1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp fresh grated Orange Zest
1. Preheat oven to 350. Combine butter, sugars until creamy and pale brown in color. Add flax seed dissolved in water and orange zest. Mix well.
2. In different bowl, combine flour, oats, baking soda, and orange zest. Mix well.
3. Add dry mixture into wet mixture. Add cranberries and mix well.
4. Spread mixture in square 9x9 ungreased baking dish.
5. Bake about 30 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.


The last in my series of baking so far has been these guys:

Look pretty boring, I know. Looks more or less like the same recipe for the cranberry orange ones, huh? Wrong. Suffice to say, unlike the chocolate cookies, these are most definitely not vegan, or vegetarian friendly cookies. Besides the butter, and eggs in these, the nice pieces you see are not some dried fruit. Nor are they some nice toasted nuts. Nope, instead, what you see my friends, is some nice, sweet, smokey and salty, candied bacon. Yup, this is when you realize you've gone perhaps too far. Suffice to say, once I pulled these out of the oven, I quickly decided that was enough baking for a little while. Now off to find some hungry stressed colleagues to feed all these to!

Maple Bacon Oat Bars
Use recipe for Cranberry Orange Oat Bars (above)
Substitute1 egg for flax seed dissolved in water
Substitute maple flavoring for orange extract
Substitute 1 cup (about 5 slices) of candied bacon for 1/2 cup dried cranberries
*Optional, once spread in pan, top with 1/4 cup pecan pieces.

For the candied bacon, you can do a Google search for more precise directions from a number of bloggers, but basically, coat thick slices with brown sugar or maple syrup, and place on some sort of non stick surface or roasting rack for 20-30 in 350 oven.

Enjoy!

Foodbuzz 24,24,24: Ohio Wine Dinner

 

When Dawn and I began planning our dinner we had tons of ideas concerning themes and concepts, and we ended with the conclusion of an American/European fusion dinner titled Americana Revisited. The reason why we settled on this was to highlight the essence of Midwest America without the humdrum standbys that no one wants to eat again any time soon. We appreciate the fact that Ohio is never considered as a wine growing paradise because that leaves more of the hidden jewels for us. I have to admit, that until recently even I sneered at the idea of excellent wine being made on the shores of bleak Lake Erie. It sounded like a ridiculous concept- but the mind must always be open innovation so it does not shrivel up into a repetitive heap. America is rarely known for a cuisine of its own, but that makes quite a statement in itself. Americana must always be revisited and remelted with shards of the old elements and shreds of the new to keep it the cultural melting pot that makes our cuisine great.

For our first course, I had the challenge of pairing some sort of a salad with a slightly sweet white. For the wine, Daniel and I selected a Gewurtzraminer wine from Fireland's vineyard, located on Isle of St. George in Sandusky, Ohio (home to Cedar Point if you're a roller coaster fan). We'll mention Firelands again later on. This course was our first test if you will, as despite our optimism, there was a slight worry  in the back of my mind that the wine would be exceptionally sweet, and the stereotyped jabs to Ohio wine would hold true. Lucky for us, they were wrong! To compliment what the wine described as its "Rose Petal Fragrance," I choose a lemony brussels sprout hash topped with poppy seeds. The zesty flavor from the lemon complimented the delicate sweetness of the wine exceptionally well and created a wondefully refreshing pairing that we will probably plan to enjoy again.

 

As soon as we found out that we were going to be doing the pairing dinner, I knew I wanted to do some sort of ravioli dish. I love preparing homemade pasta, partly because of the process, and partly because of how versatile the dish can be. I don't get to make it very often because because it does take a little bit of time and space. Luckily though, I had my mom's larger kitchen to take over for the afternoon and an extra pair of hands to help put them together.  For the wine, we selected a blend from South River Vineyard in Geneva, Ohio, looking for a sweeter, lighter red to transition to the dryer reds later. We have yet to visit this winery, but if you look at their site, the place looks quite amazing with the unique setting in the church. The Trinity blend was a blend of Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, and Pinot Noir, and we read would be sweeter, smokier taste. So, to try and compliment the two flavors, I prepared a Mushroom Ravioli with homemade pasta and slow cooked smokey bacon onions in (in place of a sauce). One of our guests (who happens to be related...and share a love for bacon), described the pairing of the slow cooked smoky bacon onions with the mushroom ravioli as releasing a "cornucopia of flavors" when paired with the wines. By this point, Daniel and I were both relieved I think that the myth of super sweet mediocrity was quickly being debunked. 

 

For the soup course I had a few elements in mind that fit the criteria of Americana Revisited including Spanish chorizo, split orange lentils and parmesan crisps. For my birthday a few days ago, Dawn bought me the book Happy in the Kitchen by Michel Richard in which he composes countless dishes similar to yet reinventing the wheel of common American dishes. For example, he revisits pecan pie which, explains as being pleasantly surprised by the first time he had it in the states and inserts macadamia nuts in place the pecans. There is definitely something to be said for reinventing the wheel as long as you don't forget the principles and engineering behind it. I tossed around the idea of using fresh Mexican chorizo and finally settled on Spanish although I believe they would both work in the recipe. The bright orange split lentils added the vibrancy I was hoping for in the dish as well as marrying well with the lamb stock I prepared last weekend for the soup. Just to mesh the spicy chorizo, buttery lentils, salty parmesan crisp, and sweetness of the stock- the Chambourcin added a pleasant dry peppery note that played well as a counterbalance.

Another book I highly recommend for its thoughtful reverence of properly raised meat as well as the head to tail approach that Fergus Henderson has become so famous for is The River Cottage Meat Book by another well intentioned Brit by the name of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. His ideas and commentary from the humane approach to meat to the precedence of keeping old recipes alive make the book a must for meat lovers. Near the center I wandered upon a recipe titled something like Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder Alla Donny Brasco which he gives a bit of credit to Nigella Lawson and others for also coining the cooking method, but as usual the ingredients and unique elements are what he wanted to display. I thank him, Lawson, and whoever else is responsible for the method, but like Hugh I tinkered with the flavor profile to stuff the pork shoulder with garlic cloves and rosemary, crusting it in whole grain mustard while still slow roasting it at 200 for approximately twenty hours. The mustard sauce that I prepared with the pan drippings, white wine, and extra rosemary seemed to be a hit. The combo of meat and sauce rested over white cheddar cheese grits. And, contrary to some of our preconceptions, the '05 Firelands Cab was musty and smoky with hints of fruit but not too much as a Cabernet Sauvignon must remain true to its noble old world roots which in our case was the Ohio version. A sort of Midwest Americana that the Old world would appreciate.

Last but not least for my dishes was a wine poached pear dish with homemade ricotta that adds the creaminess that seems inherently sinful yet right when uncorking a bottle of desert wine just for those special occasions. With all the hecticness of the activities which felt a bit like us hosting our first thanksgiving, yet the celebration was not even in our house, Dawn did a nice job capturing as many dishes and angles as she could but at the end of the night we ended with very few pictures of the pears. With something as sumptuous as pears, I try to keep the kiss (keep it simple stupid) approach so as not to overwhelm the natural sweetness and delicacy that comes out during poaching. I poached them in some white wine, a shot of triple sec, brown sugar, and lemon zest. The apple pie Mead from the Brothers Drake Meadery here in Columbus (who we paid a nice visit to earlier this month, and will probably again soon) went together with the pears and cheese as apple pie goes with cheddar cheese yet with a more mellow connection rather than an opposites attract relationship. Americana can always use another apple pie/cheddar combination and my nomination is poached pears and ricotta.  

Finally nearing the end. The dessert course. Initially I assumed this would be the easiest course to come up with a pairing for. I love making desserts. Pairing desserts with wine, particularly an Ice Wine that's exceptionally sweet is slightly more difficult however, as you have to be careful that the two are not competing as far as sweetness goes. This type of disaster would be quite a loss with any dessert wine, but with ice wine in particular I discovered this would be quite a travesty, as the process is quite labor intensive and a somewhat more risky venture. Ice wine gets its name because it is made from grapes that have frozen on the vine. The freezing process concentrates the grape flavor and the sweetness, producing an intensely sweet but perfectly balanced wine, but is also quite risky for the wine producers as it depends on a deep freeze occurring while the grapes are still in a ripened state on the vine. Besides the risks involved in the possible loss of the crop itself, the process of production is quite labor intensive as well, explaining why the cost is slightly higher. 

The ice wine from Firelands was not too expensive as far as ice wines go, and was absolutely perfect. I think we all sat in absolute silence for a few seconds after the initial sip. The cake I choose for the pairing was a toasted almond cake with a nectarine glaze, dotted with grapes to balance the sweetness. The toasted buttery flavor of the almonds and the delicate sweetness coming through from the nectarine proved an ideal pairing. I wouldn't boast to be able to say my baking is able to compliment such an amazing wine, but it definitely didn't detract from it.

All in all, the meal was absolutely incredible. We successfully found wines to debunk the super sweet stereotype from both larger Ohio Vineyards like Firelands and Debonne, and smaller operations like South River Vineyards and Brothers Drake Fine Meads. Along our journey revisiting Americana, we learned through trial and error the sweet wines created from the different grape varietals that thrive in Ohio. While visiting the Brothers Drake Meadery, we learned about the decline of interest in mead following World War II and a bee blight about the same time,  and current growth of the mead industry that emphasizes both local honeys and products, and a revisiting of wine making techniques that extend back to medieval time. The experience with pairings was rewarding and the chance to share it with friends and family in a family style meal was unforgettable. We haven't included  recipes we used as this post is quite long, but please ask for any that look interesting and we'd be happy to send them to you. I'm sure you're tired of reading by now, so all that's left is to thank Foodbuzz for the opportunity to not only find some wonderful examples of Ohio Wines, but to share an incredible meal with friends and family.

Sprouting Wings

With Thanksgiving knocking on the door the other night, I began thinking of ideas for hors dourve experiments that will compliment the season and add some zing to the usual. I wanted an addition to the Floridian delights of yesteryear and homely comfort food of Ohio. We ran the gamut of casseroles growing up from veg-all, sweet potato, green bean, asparagus, and the more traditional southern thanksgiving side variants like mustard & collard greens, turnips, and maybe even rutabagas even once or twice. One aspect that stuck out in my mind was the fact that we always shunned Brussels sprouts.

A vegetable at the height of harvest in the fall, it seems strange that we avoided it like the plague. Dawn and I are becoming more friendly and acquainted with the little guys since she made her fall pizza with them. It seems like a first time at the pool experience- dipping your toes in and deciding when to accept the otherwordliness of water surrounding you. The learning process has proven an aid to push us outside our holiday comfort zone and give us a new appreciation for the neglected orbs.

Avoiding the displeasing mushy texture was high on my agenda second to complementing the earthy bitterness of the sprouts themselves. First and foremost they had to be the star of the show not the complement. To up the ante I used some meaty portobellos and  thick-cut pepper bacon for the umami kicker. The result turned out beyond Dawn and my expectations leaving us believers and hopefully you too as this hor dourve will spruce up your holiday get together like no other sprout will.

Brussels Menagerie

1 # Brussels sprouts (if frozen, thawed)

4 or 5 pieces peppered bacon roughly chopped

1/3 C all purpose flour for dredging

1 T bacon grease (optional)

1 C thick slicked portobello mushroom

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp soy sauce

Dredge sprouts lightly in flour. Place bacon grease in skillet, if using, and cook bacon until crisp then remove from skillet. Make sure skillet is smoking hot, then add sprouts, and bacon. Shake skillet often to keep sprouts from sticking and to assure a crisp crust on all sides of sprouts and bacon. After sprouts and bacon are crisp, add lemon juice, soy sauce, and salt and pepper shaking to coat.

If using dish for hor dourves, follow directions the same except:

a. cut mushrooms pieces in squares approximately the diameter of your sprouts

b. carefully third sprouts before dredging in flour.

This will allow you thread a slice of sprout, bacon, and mushroom on a skewer to serve at parties or any other occasion when the idea strikes your fancy. Enjoy.

Breakfast for Supper

To spurn social norms, last night I decided to cooks a savory fritatta- and to go with the grain a focaccia, if you will excuse the pun. I had a ball of pizza dough in the fridge, that Dawn had made about a week ago, and some cubanelle peppers from the farmer's market ranging from a granny smith apple green shade to almost a terra cotta red hue. They looked perfect for a simple focaccia with their realm of colors. My pizza stone was already in the oven so I turned the oven to broil and charred the peppers on all sides them threw them in a paper bag to steam for about 12 minutes. After they had steamed, the peppers were so delicate and slick as oysters. They were marvelous when wedded with crisp tangy parmesan and romano studded focaccia.

With bacon and eggs handy in the fridge and some slivers of roasted cubanelle left over from the focaccia, a fritatta seemed to be a fitting accompaniment. The textual spectrum of soft peppers, crunchy bacon, and fluffy eggs says comfort food as only breakfast can. But why eat it only at breakfast?

Roasted Pepper and Bacon Fritatta
5 eggs

4 slices bacon

1 C roasted cubanelle peppers- as explained earlier

1/4 C fresh grated armesan and romano cheese

 Preheat oven to broil. Dice bacon finely and cook until crisp in oven proof skillet. Spread bacon and roasted peppers evenly in skillet. Beat eggs in bowl until frothy and add to skillet and cook until eggs are half cooked. Place eggs in oven and cook until top begins to firm, approximately five minutes. 

Cubanelle and Parmesan Focaccia

Pizza crust recipe here.

2 roasted cubanelle peppers

1/3 C. parmesan and roman cheese blend- needed into crust

 Coat pizza peel liberally with corn meal and slide focaccia rolled out to 1/2 inch thickness onto corn mealed pizza stone. Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until focaccia is golden.

A Mysterious Disaster

Despite not eating a single meal at home this weekend, between our Friday night out, a Saturday overfilled with football (in my humble opinion), and a Sunday of family time, we still managed to repeatedly destroy the kitchen, leaving me to wonder how exactly that happened. Looking back through our pictures from the weekend, I figured out that the plethora of snacks produced and consumed for the weekend were probably the culprits.   

Exhibit A: Boiled Peanuts

These are really nothing fancy, 1 lb raw peanuts, boiled in extremely salty water for 4-8 hours, and optionally saturated with your choice of seasonings. The longer you boil, the softer (or soggier) they become. Its a southern thing. If you don’t understand, don’t worry. Nonetheless, they worked very well for Daniel to watch his favorite team play Saturday afternoon, and they were easy to prepare while I destroyed the kitchen in other snacking endeavors. 

Exhibit B: The Failed Whoopie Pies

I was getting together a package of goodies to send to my in-laws this week and while looking for recipes that shipped well, I came across the suggestion for a whoopie pie. A chocolate cake like cookie with a marshmallow/butter cream-icing filling. It sounded good, supposedly shipped well, and it seemed like an infinite array of possibilities opened up before me as I imagined combinations beyond chocolate and marshmallow. I don’t give up easily so chances are, I’ll try again with some modifications, because although they were a pain and looked like the sticky gooey mess they were,  they nonetheless came out quite tasty in my family’s review. I think these would probably be most fun to make if you have kids and don’t mind them getting covered in goo while you assemble the treats. You can access the recipe I used here if you’re interested, but I’m refraining from posting it on here, simply because it didn’t work out as well as I had envisioned, but that could have been operator error. 

Exhibit C: Bacon Brittle

Really, we do not eat bacon that much. I really debated posting this one or not, simply because realized that much of what I end up posting ends up having bacon. I guess since everything is better with bacon, the tastiest recipes end up featuring it. Nonetheless, at the suggestion of a fellow blogger, and following the epic whoopie pie mess, I opted to make candy to send, brittle specifically. When I made the bacon caramel a few months ago, Daniel had suggested trying a Bacon Brittle recipe, so I thought this would be the perfect chance to experiment. I was happy with the results, although it was the straw that broke the camel’s back as far as the messy kitchen is concerned, since you do mess up at least four pots and pans.

The first thing you will want to do is to fry the bacon you want to use crisp and make maple-glazed pecans. I choose a maple-smoked bacon, but the choice is yours. For the pecans, simply toast one cup of pecans in a small iron skillet for a few minutes over medium heat until pan heats up and pecans are fragrant, stirring occasionally. Once lightly toasted, add two tablespoons of maple syrup and stir quickly and vigorously until most of the liquid seems to be dissolved. Turn the heat off, and allow pecans to cool. Remove from pan and carefully break apart. You’ll only need a half cup of pecans chopped, but if you’re like me, the other half cup will not last long. From there, simply follow a basic brittle recipe, and enjoy!

Bacon Brittle

6-10 Strips Bacon, Fried Crispy and Crumbled

½ Cup Maple Pecans, Chopped

1 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Water

1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup

1 Tsp Baking Soda

2 Tsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Butter

Butter to grease baking sheet.

1. Prepare bacon and pecans, set aside. Butter or grease large baking sheet. Measure out baking soda, butter, and vanilla and set aside.

2. Place sugar, water, and corn syrup in heavy saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil. Place candy thermometer into pan, and turn to high heat. Allow mixture to cook until it reaches 290 degrees. Remove from heat immediately, carefully but quickly add remaining ingredients. Mixture will foam up and then settle. 3. Once foam has settled, carefully pour into thin layer on prepared baking sheet. Try to pour thin, but allow mixture to settle naturally; do not spread with spatula or stretch. Allow to cool 20-30 minutes and carefully break into pieces. Store in covered container and enjoy!

Playing with Pissaladiére

Although Daniel and I are not really big things of routine or making the same dish more than once, one of the things that we enjoy making over and over is homemade pizzas with unique toppings. As you can guess from the recent plethora of posts on bacon, we still had some of the amazing bacon purchased at the farmer’s market so I decided to try to finish it up on a unique pizza.

The recipe for this dough is the same used in an earlier post, left over from the large batch it makes. Although we like this particular recipe pretty well, we will keep experimenting as always and update on any improvements. Although I knew I wanted to finish off the bacon that we had, I always have trouble thinking of unique things to do with bacon. It’s just so delicious by itself, I want to be sure I’m doing something to improve and compliment the taste of the bacon, rather than hide it. As I looked back through our previous pissaladiére post for the dough recipe, I thought that I’d do a play on the "French Muse" and give it a slight makeover deciding on a BLT style pizza using tomato, bacon, and leeks in place of the onions.

As usual, once you decide what to put on the pizza, it’s pretty easy going from there. I simply prepared the leeks just as you would the onion base for the pissaladiére with lots of roasting and butter and olive oil, added the bacon fried crisp, and the tomatoes soaked in an aged balsamic to enhance the fruitiness of the tomato. Once the pizza was assembled, I decided to add a little bit of cheese as well, deciding on a light crumbled goat cheese. The result was a deceptively complex pizza with an amazing flavor from the leeks, permeated through the fruity taste of the tomatoes, the tartness of the goat cheese, and the salty smoky flavor of the bacon. I usually think my pizza's are pretty plain or boring in comparison to Daniel's concoctions, but I have to say I was pretty proud of this one. Enjoy!

BLT Pissaladiére

 Pizza Crust Recipe, available here

Cornmeal sufficient for dusting (1/2 cup)

3 Large Leeks, Sliced thin, white & light green parts only.

3 Tablespoons Butter

4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

3 Fresh Thyme Sprigs

2 Fresh Rosemary Sprigs

Salt & Pepper to taste.

3 Pieces of Bacon; Fried Crisp, Crumbled

1/2 Cup Tomatoes, Diced

1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar

1/4 Cup Goat Cheese Crumbles

1 Tbsp Olive Oil* (Optional)

1/2 Tsp Dried Rosemary

1/2 Tsp Dried Thyme

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees while slicing the leeks. Place butter in bottom of casserole dish and place in oven to melt. Once butter has melted add 1/3 of leeks to bottom of pan. Place herbs on top. Drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil. Place another 1/3 of leeks on top. Drizzle with remaining olive oil. Season with Salt & Pepper. Return to oven. Bake until leeks are tender and mostly golden, stirring every 20-30 minutes, approximately 1-1/2 hours. Cool mixture, and discard herbs. (Can be made prior and cooled in fridge overnight).

2. When ready to make pizza, place pizza stone in oven and preheat to 450, allowing at least 45 minutes.Place diced tomatoes in balsamic to soak while you fry or bake the bacon until crisp. While bacon cools, prepare pizza dough and place dough on pizza peel dusted with cornmeal.

3. Spread cooked leeks on prepared pizza dough. Top with crumbled bacon, tomatoes, and goat cheese crumbles. Drizzle with balsamic. Sprinkle herbs on top. *Optionally, can also brush crust with olive oil.

4. Carefully dust pizza stone with corn meal, and carefully slide pizza from peel on to the stone. Cook approximately ten minutes, until crust is golden brown in color. 

5. Remove from oven, allow to cool 3-5 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

A Savory Breakfast Treat

One of the things Daniel and I enjoyed doing most for each other after we were married was to make breakfast for each other, trying infinite combinations in omelets and all forms of pancakes and waffles. We’ve somewhat slowed down significantly since then, and during the week breakfast is often not more than fruit or yogurt or cereal, unless we bake muffins or scones or bagels sometime earlier in the week. Since I’m on a break for the next week or so, I’ve enjoyed getting to make breakfast for Daniel again in the mornings, and this morning decided to try for a savory scone recipe.

Scones are definitely a hit or miss source of breakfast delight. The line between a crumbly dry flavorless biscuit, and a flaky, crumbly, melt in your mouth delicious scone is sometimes difficult to navigate. I’m ashamed to say that my first attempt at lemon poppy seed scones produced small inedible bricks that self-destructed at the slightest touch. Since then, I’ve learned that no, the butter does not need to be softened if you want an edible scone treat, and have expanded my scone repertoire to include sweet and savory combinations. Having picked up some delicious bacon from a local farm at this weeks farmers market, I decided to try a savory bacon scone, to pair with a tomato jam I’d prepared earlier in the week.

The scone recipe I used below is straightforward enough. To try to obtain more of a bacon flavor, I cut a little bit of the butter out of the recipe and substituted approximately one-half a tablespoon of the cooled grease from the fried bacon. The result was a slightly flakier scone, almost more buttermilk biscuit-like, but with a smoky bacon flavor permeating every bite. Overall, I was quite satisfied with the scone on its own. I’m typically a purist when it comes to a lot of breakfast foods. I don’t eat syrup on pancakes, butter on biscuits, etc. I’m not sure why, just habit I suppose. Nonetheless, I was really happy with the results of my tomato jam adapted from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine, so I decided to put the two together. As usual, the sweet pairing with the smoky, peppery bacon was both rewarding and satisfying, and gave us a quick, enjoyable breakfast for a few mornings.

Bacon Scones (Makes four scones)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour

½ Tsp Salt

½ Tbsp Baking Powder

½ Tsp Sugar

1-1/2 Tbsp Cold Butter

½ Tbsp Bacon Grease

½ Cup Shredded Cheese (the obvious choice is cheddar, but I used Monterrey Jack since that’s what we had already shredded, you choose!)

1 Green Onion, diced, with diced scallion tops

Approx 4 Slices Bacon Fried Crisp and Crumbled (approx 2/3 Cup)

1/3 Cup Heavy Cream (Approximate, less maybe)

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease pan.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.

Using fingers or fork, work butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles fine crumbs.

Mix in cheese, chives, and crumbled bacon. Until evenly distributed. Add cooled bacon grease and most of the cream. Stir quickly to combine. If dough still appears too crumbly and does not stay together, continue adding cream until dough comes together, mixing as little as possible. Divide evenly into four large, biscuit sized minds. Place on baking sheet and cook approximately 20 minutes until golden brown. Cool on pan. Remove, and serve warm. Will keep in a covered container for a day or two, re-warm before serving.

Tomato Jam (adapted from Natalie’s Killer Cuisine)

Makes approximately eight ounces of jam

2 lb Tomatoes, very ripe
3/4 cup Sugar
¼ Tsp Ginger

½ Tsp Cinnamon

½ Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Pinch of Salt

Chop Tomatoes in medium dice, discarding seeds and skins where easily removable.

Add all ingredients into stockpot and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce to low heat and let mixture reduce to a jam-like consistency, stirring occasionally (approx 1 hour). Once jam reaches desired consistency and has thickened, remove from heat and transfer to another container to cool.