Return of the Doug

Ok, so I finally took some time to sit down and put a couple things in. June has been bugging, pestering, reminding me that I need to put some recipes in for peameal bacon and some of the other things mentioned in the "I smell sex and bacon" section ...so here I go.

Candied Bacon

Before I get into those though, I would like to touch on cooking regular bacon.What do you mean unhealthy preoccupation, June?  In June's Monte Cristo Sandwich recipe, she tells you to coat the bacon in maple syrup and brown sugar and bake in the oven, effectively candying the bacon. There are, of course, variations of this technique, or at least ingredients, rendering a different flavour for your bacon. Oh, and if you think I spelled flavour wrong, remember I'm Canadian. So a couple of alternatives would be to coat the bacon in Dijon mustard and brown sugar, this adds a nice bite as well as the sweetness. If you're craving even more salt in your diet, try soy sauce and brown sugar. 

And don't stop there, a light coat of oil and cayenne pepper and brown sugar gives them a spicy twist, or perhaps some cinnamon and brown sugar or just some pepper then coat them in brown sugar. Really opens your mind up to possibilities, doesn't it? 

(Takes a break and goes to search for some bacon in the fridge.)                                                                  

So, to reiterate the technique...preheat oven to 350, coat the bacon in the the liquid of choice (mustard, soy, maple syrup, oil...) coat with spices if you wish, then brown sugar. You can put extra sugar on the top of the bacon after its on the rack. If you have a shallow tray with a baking rack in it, this is ideal, but if not, put a tray on the lower oven rack and lay the bacon on the top one, or just spread out on a cookie sheet. If you're using the rack method, spraying them with nonstick spray is a good idea. Remember to lay the bacon out in nice, straight strips. Cook for 20-30 minutes until desired doneness then remove. Take the bacon off the racks right away to cool, leaving them will let them stick and it will be hard to remove them when they cool.

So, you've candied bacon, what do you do with it? Obvious answer...scarf it down... loving every totally porky, salty, sweet, spicey bite, not caring what you might feel like after you finish the whole pound. But a more sane suggestion, you can add them to ice cream and if you make your own ice cream, add it in to make candied bacon ice cream, throw them into a salad, all kinds of sandwiches add them to your peas for dinner, stand them in a decorative glass and serve as an appetizer. Why not cut them in half length wise when you're candying them and then you will have wonderful stir sticks for your cocktails...well, you get the idea...there is no limit. 

So if you thought of bacon as a breakfast sidekick to your eggs, then think again, it can be a sweet snack as well as a savory one and not only the star of a meal but an amazing add-in to take your creation to a whole new level.  

Cheers Bacon!!!

puts a piece of candied bacon in his mouth.....

 mmmmmmmmmmmmmm bacon.