¼ pound bacon, cut in large dice
1 cup real maple syrup
1/2 pound butter
few sprigs of thyme

In a small pot, render the diced bacon until just crispy. Add the maple syrup. When it starts to bubble, remove from heat and add the ½ pound of butter. Stir until it’s fully melted and combined, sprinkle 1 tsp of thyme (fresh) and remove from heat.

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Serves 8-10

Maple Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise and seeds scraped out or 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons of maple syrup

1/2 cup of prepared caramel sauce

Caramel Sauce:

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 stick margarine or butter

2 tablespoons dark corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Custard Mix:

4 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 TBL vanilla bean paste

1/3 cup superfine sugar

1/3 cup maple syrup

2-3 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 large croissants

Candied Bacon Bits:

1/2 pound regular bacon

1/3 cup light brown sugar

Directions:

Spray 13×9 inch baking dish (glass, stainless or enamel) very well with Vegelene. Preheat the oven to 350˚.

For the Croissants: Slice the croissants in half horizontally. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. On a baking sheet, toast the croissant halves until golden, about 8 to 10 minutes, watching carefully so that they do not burn. Remove from the oven and when cool, break the croissants up into 2-inch pieces and set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 400˚.

For the Maple Vanilla Bean Caramel Sauce: In a small saucepan, combine all ingredients except the caramel and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and let sauce thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and allow to infuse for 5 minutes, then strain out the vanilla pod if using. Add in the store bought caramel sauce and cool the sauce and refrigerate, covered.

For the Caramel Topping: In a medium saucepan, combine ingredients and mix well. Cook over medium heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Do not boil. Spread topping in sprayed baking dish. There should be about a 1/4” layer of caramel mix on the dish.

For the Custard Mixture: Beat eggs in shallow bowl. Add milk, cream, vanilla, sugar, maple syrup and salt; beat well and set aside.

For the Candied Bacon Bits: Spray a rack with Vegelene and set aside over a foil covered cooking sheet. Cook the bacon in a large sauté pan until crisp but not burned. Drain off most of the grease, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan. Do not blot the bacon. Sprinkle the brown sugar over the bacon to coat and let it cook so the sugar melts and coats the bacon about 1-2 minutes turn bacon over to coat other side. Remove the sugar coated bacon to the prepared rack to cool and dry. Crumble into 1/2” little bits and set aside.

Assemble the Croissant Bread Pudding:

1.      Take the toasted croissants pieces and arrange them tightly over sugar topping in sprayed baking dish.

2.      Pour the milk egg mixture over the croissants. Sprinkle with 3/4 of the candied bacon bits and push them down into the bread pudding so they’re not all floating on the top. Reserve the 1/4 of the bits for garnish.

3.      At this point you can bake it right away or cover; refrigerate overnight and bake later. If refrigerated, let come to room temperature before baking.

4.      Heat oven to 400 degrees. Uncover baking dish; bake 30-40 minutes or until egg mixture is set. Remove from oven.

5.      Meanwhile reheat the thickened maple sugar cream mixture.

6.      Poke holes about every 2” all over the bread pudding about half way down and pour 2/3 of the thickened maple sugar cream mixture over it so that it soaks into the bread pudding and return to the oven for 10 minutes.

7.      Remove from the oven and let stand 3 minutes. Run a knife along the edges to loosen. Then invert onto large serving platter, scraping any extra caramel topping from baking dish onto toast. You can also cut into pieces and invert each piece onto plates or serving platter.

Garnish: Drizzle a little of the Maple Vanilla Caramel Sauce on each piece of bread pudding and sprinkle some of the candied bacon bits. Serve immediately.

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Yields 1 Pound of Bacon

Ingredients:

1 pound of Regular Cut Bacon (not thick cut)

1 Pound of Brown Sugar

Cooking Spray like Vegalene or Pam

Prepare the pan(s) – Wrap a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Take a cooling rack that fits just inside the sheet pan and spray it with cooking spray and place on top of the sheet pan, or cookie sheet with sides.  This is the ideal and easiest way to make this with the least mess and clean up.  Especially if you’re making multiple batches.  If you don’t have the cooling racks, at least wrap the sheet pan in foil.  Note: You cannot make this on a flat cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place brown sugar in hotel pan or other shallow dish. Add strips of bacon to dish and press sugar against bacon and turn to completely coat both sides with sugar. Transfer bacon to prepared pan or baking sheet with rim.

Bake bacon until dark golden brown, and firm to touch about 30-40 minutes.  If you don’t use a rack, you might have to turn the bacon over about 2/3 of the way thru. The bacon should feel like it has been shellacked. It should not still be too sticky/tacky.  Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn, it can happen very quickly. I will usually rotate the pan at least once to make sure everything cooks evenly. Using tongs, transfer to separate rack and cool. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Store in a Cambro™ or other airtight container at room temperature.) Serve at room temperature.  Remove and re-foil the pan as necessary and continue until all the bacon is done.

This bacon is addicting. It is easy to eat a pound by yourself. It’s great crumbled in a salad too.

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This recipe makes the perfect potato pancakes. Really thin and crispy and with the addition of BACON!

Yields approx. 20 Pancakes (3” round)

(Figure one large potato per person)

Ingredients:

4 Large Russet Potatoes peeled and grated by hand

1/2 Pound of bacon cooked until crispy but not burned and crumbled by hand

1 Medium Yellow Onion finely grated –including the juice from the onion

1/3 Cup Matzo Meal (+ additional to soak up liquid as needed)

1 1/2 Teaspoons Salt (plus more to taste)

1 Teaspoon Pepper (plus more to taste)

1 Egg

Vegetable Oil for frying

Sour Cream (or crème fraiche) and Applesauce

Paper Towels

1.      Grate potatoes into large mixing bowl.

2.      Add other ingredients and mix together.

3.      So that the bacon doesn’t get soggy sitting in the potato mixture while you make all the pancakes, put a cup of the mixture in a bowl and mix in about 1/3 of a cup of the crumbled bacon sprinkles.

4.      Heat 1/4” oil in large nonstick pan to 375 degrees. (if the pancake turns dark as soon as you put it in, turn down the oil and wait until it gets dark golden brown slowly) Be sure to refill the oil if it goes down too much during cooking. The pancakes should not touch the bottom of the pan.

5.      Spoon 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into hot oil.

6.      Flatten out with potato masher until about 1/4” thick.

7.      Turn when edges are crisp and other side is completely dark golden brown. Check the taste after the first pancake to make sure there’s enough salt and onion.

8.      Remove when both sides are almost completely dark golden browned.

9.      Add more Matzo Meal to mixing bowl as needed to soak up excess liquid.

10.  Remove to paper towel to dry.

11.  Serve hot immediately with Sour Cream and Applesauce.

The Hints:

Here are the keys to perfect potato pancakes:

1. Keep 1/4” to 1/2” of oil in the pan so the pancakes are essentially floating in the oil.

2. Always grate everything by hand (never use a cuisinart as it makes the potatoes gummy). Use the larger side of a box grater for the potatoes, and the small holes for the onion.

3. Keep adding small handfuls of matzo meal (NEVER FLOUR!) as needed to soak up the extra liquid in the potato mixture as you’re making them.

4. Make only a few pancakes the first round. Taste them when done and adjust salt, pepper and onion to taste. Then continue with rest of mixture.

5. Drop the potato mixture by spoonfuls into the oil. Take a potato masher(one with holes) and flatten each one until about 1/4” thick. This makes for pancakes that are crispy and not mushy inside.

6. Don’t remove the pancake until they are browned across both sides. This will not only make them taste better but they’ll stay crispy as you make the rest of the pancakes. If the middle of the pancakes are too light in the middle, they will get soggy as soon as they’re put on the paper towel.

7. They are best made fresh and served as soon as they are made. If you absolutely need to make them ahead of time, you can cook them until slightly browned. Then refrigerate them. When you are ready to serve, reheat the oil and throw them back in and fry until they are dark golden brown.

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Serves 4

Ingredients:
 4 qt. Water
Salt to taste
2 lb. Fresh Chestnuts
2tbsp Unsalted Butter
5oz Yellow Onion chopped
2oz Celery Stalks chopped
2 Bay Leafs
Black Pepper to taste
2 qt. Chicken Stock
1 cup White Wine
2 cups Whipping Cream
4 oz Smoked Bacon
3 oz Mushroom Cream with Truffle Aroma

Bring the water to a boil with 1 Tbsp of salt, slit the chestnut on the side with a paring knife and boil them for 3-4 min. Remove it with a slotted spoon, once they are cool enough to handle but still warm peel them.

In a large soup pot, melt the butter and sauté onion and celery, add the chestnuts, bay leafs, 1 qt chicken stock and white wine, cover and cook for 45 min to 1 hour, till the chestnuts are soft but intact.

Once done, remove the bay leaf and puree the soup and return it to the stock pot. Add the remaining chicken stock to thin the soup and bring to a simmer. While the soup is cooking crisp the bacon in the oven till extremely crisp!! Remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Once the bacon is cold and crispy (remove the fat in excess with a kitchen towel if necessary) place it in a blender till is pulverized.

Whip the cream not completely, just half way.

Compose the soup at last minute by adding the mushroom cream with truffle to the chestnut soup and fill till 3/4 full a cappuccino cup, with a spoon place little half whipped cream on top of it and dust with the bacon powder. Can be served hot or lukewarm.

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Yields 2 Dozen Appetizers
1 pound of Regular Cut Bacon(not thick cut)
1 Package of Roschti Potatoes or a 12 oz bag of Frozen Hash Brown Potatoes – fried crisp(per package instructions)  and seasoned with salt & pepper
1 Medium Yellow Onions minced
½ cup Sour Cream or Lite Sour Cream
½ pound of Gruyere(or Swiss) shredded
1 bunch of Chives minced
Salt and Pepper
3-4 tbl of Reg Olive Oil or Canola Oil

Heat the Oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat, then add the onions and sauté until they are slightly caramelized about 25 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 375°.

Cut the Bacon into 3 inch strips. You will need 2 pieces per cup, depending on how big your muffin tin is and how thick/wide your Bacon is. Place the pieces in a cross pattern so it fills up the cup.  The strips should be just long enough to go across the bottom and up the sides of the cup of the muffin tin.  The goal is to create a “cup” with the bacon so you want bottom and sides covered. It needs to go to at least to the top of the tin since the Bacon will shrink down. But if pieces are too long and they go too far over onto the flat part between the cups, it will stick and the cups won’t cook right!

Cook the Bacon cups in the oven until the Bacon is firm and cooked about 30-35 minutes. Be careful they don’t burn. After about 20 minutes check the cups and gently push the bacon down toward the bottom of the cup, unsticking any pieces that have stuck across the top.

When cooked, and slightly cooled, lift the cups out of the fat(they will be sitting in the rendered fat) so they can drain and cool off.  The cups will firm up a little more once they cool. You can make these 1-2 days ahead of time. You will just need to store them in the muffin tins, or in a single layer on sheet pans so they don’t break and to help them keep their shape.

Set up an assembly line with bowls of each of the ingredients. Put the sour cream in a squirt bottle if you have one. If not just use a small teaspoon. Fill each cup with 1 tsp. of the fried seasoned Potatoes, then a sprinkle of Onions, then a tsp. of the Gruyere.  Bake the filled cups in a 375 degree oven until the cheese melts about 3-5 minutes. Top each cup with a squirt of the Sour Cream and a sprinkle of Chives.  And Enjoy!

Chef’s Note. While testing this recipe for my Bacon Affair Decadent Underground Dinner, I tried this recipe with fancy thick bacons and regular thin center cut store brands. While the flavor was terrific with the “heirloom” bacons, the cups worked better, and the pieces fused together better with the plain store brands. The pieces seemed to stay separate with the thick fancy cuts.  What I finally did was make the cup with the store brand and put a small piece of the “fancy” bacon at the bottom of each cup. Though this is not necessary.

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1 pound of strong flavored Bacon
1 Bottle(a fifth) of Vodka
Bloody Mary Mix
Bacon Salt
Mason Jars
Decorative Bottle
Extra Bacon Pieces for garnish

Bacon Vodka
Fry the strips of Bacon in a pan, until crisp but not burned. Add cooked Bacon to 2 clean pint sized mason jars. Fill the jars with vodka. Cap and place in a dark cupboard for at least two to three weeks.  Rotate/shake every few days. Do not refrigerate it. At the end of the three week resting period, place the Bacon Vodka in the freezer for 1 hour to solidify the fats. Strain out the fats through a coffee filter to yield a clear filtered pale yellow Bacon Vodka.

Bacon Marys
Add Bacon Vodka to Bloody Mary Mix to taste and shake. Rim Glass with Bacon Salt. Pour Bacon Mary mix into glass. Garnish with piece of Bacon on rim.

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Yields 60 pieces

1 pound of Thick Cut Bacon
1 ½ Cups of Taste of Thai Peanut Sauce  & Coating Mix
1 Can of Coconut Milk
1 Tsp of Superfine Sugar (to taste)
Cooking Spray

Prepare the pan(s) – Wrap a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Take a cooling rack that fits just inside the sheet pan and spray it with cooking spray and place on top of the sheet pan, or cookie sheet with sides.  This is the ideal and easiest way to make this with the least mess and clean up.  Especially if you’re making multiple batches.  If you don’t have the cooling racks, at least wrap the sheet pan in foil.  Note: You cannot make this on a flat cookie sheet.

Prepare the Peanut Dipping Sauce – Empty one can of Coconut Milk into a saucepan and add ½ cup of the Peanut Sauce Mix and the Sugar. Stir over medium high heat for about 15-20 minutes until sauce starts to boil and thicken.  The sauce can burn easily, especially on the bottom, so keep a careful eye on it.  It will thicken more upon cooling. It should be the consistency of a thick cream sauce.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place 1 cup of the Peanut Sauce/Coating Mix in shallow dish.   Add strips of Bacon to dish and press mix against Bacon and turn to coat completely on both sides. Transfer Bacon strips to prepared pan. Bake Bacon until cooked about 20-25 minutes.  Keep an eye on it to make sure the coating doesn’t burn, it can happen very quickly. I will usually rotate the pan at least once to make sure everything cooks evenly.  Transfer to separate rack and cool. Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cut cooked bacon into 2” pieces and thread onto skewers. Serve on tray with warmed Peanut Sauce.

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Yields 1 Pound of Bacon

1 pound of Regular Cut Bacon(not thick cut)
1 Pound of Light Brown Sugar
Cooking Spray

Prepare the pan(s) – Wrap a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Take a cooling rack that fits just inside the sheet pan and spray it with cooking spray and place on top of the sheet pan, or cookie sheet with sides.  This is the ideal and easiest way to make this with the least mess and clean up.  Especially if you’re making multiple batches.  If you don’t have the cooling racks, at least wrap the sheet pan in foil.  Note: You cannot make this on a flat cookie sheet.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place brown sugar in shallow dish. Add strips of bacon to dish and press sugar against bacon and turn to completely coat both sides with sugar. Transfer bacon to prepared pan or baking sheet with rim. Bake bacon until dark golden brown, and firm to touch about 30-40 minutes.  If you don’t use a rack, you might have to turn the bacon over about 2/3 of the way thru. The bacon should feel like it has been shellacked. It should not still be too sticky/tacky.  Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn, it can happen very quickly. I will usually rotate the pan at least once to make sure everything cooks evenly. Using tongs, transfer to separate rack and cool. (Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.) Serve at room temperature.  Remove and refoil the pan and continue until all the bacon is done.

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From the Demo: Easy Breezy Summer Catering
Recipe Courtesy of Chef Meg Hall

Serves 6

10 ozs  Baby Spinach
1 Cup  Sliced Strawberries, tops removed
4          Strips of Bacon, Crisp in skillet and drain on paper towels
½         Red Onion, Thinly sliced
4-5 oz  Goat Cheese, crumbled
¼ cup  Balsamic Vinegar
1 cup   Olive Oil
1          Small Shallot, minced
TT       Salt
TT        Fresh Cracked Black Pepper

1. For Dressing:  Combine Shallot and Balsamic Vinegar in blender. 
2. With blender running, drizzle in olive oil.
3. If mixture is too thick, add water one tablespoon at a time.
4. Season with Salt and pepper.
5. For Salad:  In a large bowl, add Spinach and toss with vinaigrette just before serving.
6. Place Salad on plate or in bowl.
7. Arrange or sprinkle on toppings: Strawberries, Crumbled Bacon, Red Onion Slivers and Crumbled Goat Cheese.
8. Place dressing in a bowl on the side with serving spoon.

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