1774. SHAD ROE with BACON and MUSHROOMS

yields four servings

4 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 shad fillets, with skin on
2 pairs shad roe
1/2 cup milk
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
flour for dredging
1/3 cup peanut or vegetable oil
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced thin
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
1/2 cup creme fraiche
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Fry the bacon until it is crisp, drain it and warm it in a low oven.

Cut the shad fillets in half and place them with the roe in the milk. Remove them, season them with salt and pepper and dredge them lightly in the flour, shaking off any excess.

Using a nonstick pan, heat the peanut or vegetable oil and saute the fillets and the roe until they are golden on both sides. (This can be done in two batches if necessary). Turn heat down and cook four to five minutes. Handle roe carefully to prevent them from splitting. Remove to heated platter and keep warm.

While the fish is cooking, heat the butter in another pan. Add the mushrooms and thyme and cook until the former are golden brown. Stir in the creme fraiche and the lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce onto the fish and sprinkle with parsley and bacon. Serve at once.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Moira Hodgson, “Shad and Roe Are Making Their Yearly Cameo Appearance,” The New York Times, February 25, 1996

Go to Source

1773. STUFFED PORK TENDERLOINS with BACON and APPLE-RIESLING SAUCE

yields four servings

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 pound pork breakfast sausage, casings removed
1 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme
1/2 teaspoon chopped sage
1/2 cup finely chopped collard greens (2 large leaves, stemmed)
4 ounces fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
two 1-pound pork tenderloins
6 slices of bacon

SAUCE
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and cut into 1/3-inch dice
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup dry Riesling
1/4 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 teaspoon chopped sage
1/2 teaspoon chopped thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

PREPARE THE PORK: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the apple, garlic, thyme and sage and cook until the apple just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the collard greens and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature. Mix in the goat cheese and season the stuffing with salt and pepper.

Light a grill. Using a long, thin knife and beginning at a thick end, cut a 1-inch-wide pocket through the center of each pork tenderloin; use the handle of a wooden spoon to widen the pocket if necessary. Fill the pork tenderloins with the stuffing, poking it in with the wooden spoon. Season the tenderloins with salt and pepper and wrap the bacon strips securely around them; try to cover any exposed stuffing with the bacon.

Grill the pork tenderloins over moderately high heat, turning four times, until browned on every side, about 25 minutes, or the internal temperature reaches 140°. Transfer the pork tenderloins to a cutting board, cover tightly with foil and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

MEANWHILE, MAKE THE SAUCE: In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the apple, cider, Riesling, chicken stock, sage and thyme and simmer until the apple softens, about 7 minutes. Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the sauce back into the saucepan and boil until it coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Slice the pork tenderloins crosswise about 1 inch thick and arrange on plates. Spoon the Apple-Riesling Sauce around the meat and serve.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Debra Whiting, Red Newt Winery Bistro, 3675 Tichenor Road, Hector New York 14841 | “Great American Wine & Food Matches,” Food & Wine, October 2006

Go to Source

1772. RAMP, BACON and RICOTTA TART

serves four

For the tart crust:
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
3 tablespoons ice water, plus more as needed

For the tart filling:
4 slices of good quality bacon
1 large shallot, sliced
3 cups (packed) spinach
1 1/2 cups ricotta
1 large egg
salt and pepper, to taste
about 18 ramps, cleaned and bulb ends trimmed

In a food processor, combine the flours and salt and pulse to combine. Add the pieces of cold unsalted butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the 3 tablespoons ice water, then pulse in 1 second bursts until the mixture resembles curds and clumps (you can add a little more water if needed.) Turn the mixture out onto a lightly floured surface, gather it together in a ball, flatten into a disk shape and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour or more.

To pre-bake the tart shell, roll it out and fit it into a 9-inch tart pan, trimming off any excess (you can save the excess dough to patch any tears that might appear in the dough.) Prick the bottom of the shell with a fork all over, then lay a piece of foil into the shell and fill the foil with dried beans (they’ll act as weights to keep the shell from puffing up in the oven.) Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and beans and bake for an additional 7 minutes or so, until the dough loses it’s glossiness and turns ever so slightly golden brown around the edges. Remove the shell from the oven, keeping it in the pan, and cool on a rack.

When you’re ready to assemble the tart, cook the bacon in a large, heavy saute pan until browned and crisp. Remove to a cooling rack to drain off any excess fat. Pour off the bacon fat (save it to cook other things with!) until there’s about a tablespoon left in the pan. Return the pan to medium high heat and saute the sliced shallots until softened, then add the spinach and cook the mixture just until wilted.

Transfer the spinach/shallot mixture to the bowl of a food processor. Add the ricotta cheese, egg, and a generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper (I found it didn’t need much additional salt since the bacon is kind of salty.) Puree the mixture until the spinach is chopped, and set aside.

In the same pan you used to cook the bacon and spinach, add the whole ramps and a little bit of water. Cook just until the ramp greens have wilted, and set aside.

Transfer the ricotta/spinach mixture into the tart shell. Top with the crumbled bacon slices, then arrange the wilted ramps over the top. Place the tart pan on a baking sheet, and bake for about 35-45 minutes in a 375 degree F oven, until the top is just starting to turn brown, the filling is slightly puffed and set, and the crust is golden brown.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Amy Maltzan, eggs on sunday, April 23, 2009, eggsonsunday@gmail.com

Go to Source

Meat Baby Hey, we don’t make ‘em… we just…

Meat Baby

Hey, we don’t make ‘em… we just reblog ‘em.

via somethingtochewon: Wiktor

Go to Source

Maple Bacon Cupcakes Recipe by bacontoday.com via mikehat: Also…

Maple Bacon Cupcakes

Recipe by bacontoday.com

via mikehat:

Also see, Dark Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes by allrecipes.com

Go to Source

Triple Bacon Grilled Cheese Burger OH MAN koolkidkay: I wish I…

Triple Bacon Grilled Cheese Burger

OH MAN

koolkidkay:

I wish I had this right now.

Go to Source

Chicken (Wrapped in Bacon) by Minus the Bear (2:53) Hahaha, this…

Chicken (Wrapped in Bacon) by Minus the Bear (2:53)

Hahaha, this is awesome. We could listen to this all day.  In fact, we just might…

Submitted by Mike

Go to Source

Wait… What?  via imgur Submitted by hilker

Wait… What? 

via imgur

Submitted by hilker

Go to Source

Bacon Cheesecake Brownies Recipe from Instructables.com via…

Bacon Cheesecake Brownies

Recipe from Instructables.com

via herbeatingheart

Go to Source

Goat-Cheese Bacon Burger by WordRidden on…

Goat-Cheese Bacon Burger

by WordRidden on flickr

via delectablefoods

Go to Source