Oh, Bacon

[Wink Holliday]

I'm a "flexitarian," which, for me, means that I only eat meat from animals that have lived natural lives: no factory farming, no feedlots, etc. As a result of my personal standards, I am pretty much a vegetarian.
I never ate bacon every day. When I was brunching regularly with friends, I'd maybe have it once a week. With a touch of maple syrup, please. But now that I can't have it at all, I crave it! My boy bought me a bacon-scented air freshener for my car (I refuse to take it out of the plastic wrapper) and we shared a Mo's Bacon Bar* from Vosges as a rare treat. I even found a recipe online for candied bacon, which I want to make when I find some happy-pig bacon! My favorite bacon, hands down, was Nueske's from Wisconsin. Lucky for me, I haven't been in Wisconsin since I went veggie, so I haven't been tempted. :)

What's your bacon story? Poppy? The floor is yours. :)


*That's Mo as in Mo Frechette from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor, MI... and the bacon is Nueske's!

[Wink Holliday]

The tough part will be ignoring the 5 strips of cooked bacon for 3 weeks!

sfphotojournal said:

How about a BLTini.

Bacon infused vodka - put 5 strips of cooked bacon in a mason jar. Cover to brim with vodka. Let stand for 3 weeks. Strain.

Pour 2 juggers of bacon infused vodka in to a high ball glass with ice.
Fill remainder with tomatoe juice
2 dash worcestershire sauce
1 dash celery salt
1 dash bacon salt
1 dash Tobassco Sauce
1 dash black pepper
1 dash lemon juice
garish with cooked bacon, tomato and sliced lettuce leaf.

[Poppy Fields]

Ha ha! Bacon renders me oblivious to the little details of life. Luckily I have more sensible folks around to save me from myself ;D

Wink Holliday said:

Caveat emptor! The copy clearly states that the bubbles are bacon scented. They could still be soap flavored, and that would be a terrible disappointment!

Poppy Fields said:

I think it would be remiss not to utter a stunned and respectful oh. my. god. round about here.
(i would totally be fighting the dog for the bubbles. That's because I have no shame.)

sfphotojournal said:

Bacon scented bubble blower - safe for dogs and kids

Also available in peanut butter and BBQ chicken

http://www.activedogtoys.com/bubble_buddy.html

[Wink Holliday]

Silkscreened bacon/sugar skull print from http://nicodemusgreen.etsy.com

[Wink Holliday]

It's 1am. Time for breakfast yet?

sfphotojournal said:

Breakfast Pudding/Bacon and Egg Quiche

It's been a while since I put a recipe so here's one I make when I got stuff left over from breakfast.

Take 1lb fried bacon and break it in pieces.

Take a large deep sided pie pan and butter is up. (I like using pyrex for this.)

Layer the bottom of pie pan with thick sliced corn bread, you can use bread but that's sort of boring.

Add a layer of home fries not hash browns.

Add a layer of sliced onions.

Add a layer of bacon.

Whisk 6 large eggs and pour over layers.

Cover with grated sharp cheddar cheese.

Bake at 375F/190C for 35 to 45 minutes.

[Wink Holliday]

Okay, let us, for a moment, ignore the fact that there is an iPhone app that not only suggests new bacon recipes, but also MIMICS THE SOUND OF FRYING BACON on your choice of six different surfaces, because as much as I love bacon, I am not paying $1.99 so that my phone can SOUND like bacon. Instead, let us wantwantwantwantwant these:

Seen at http://www.timothyliles.com/index.php?/sneakers/bacon-and-eggs

[Wink Holliday]

Oh, go to the darn App store and search for "Pocket Bacon."

Dancing Bacon Man is half the price, though. ;)

sfphotojournal said:

What iPhone APP?

[Violet Fox]

Xanthan Gum and Agar make EXCELLENT subsitutes for gelletin.. That's if they aren't better than the REAL THING! I used to use them a lot as thickening agents and making jelly things at a restaurant I used to work at.. I'd take the Xanthan Gum over the Agar though.. We did a lot of molecular gastronomy accents with our dishes like passionfuit caviar and such.. It was awesome..!!

Oh, and did I metion that we smoke our own bacon at the restaurant that I work at now.. *grins* good lord is it ever tasty.

Poppy Fields said:

So, back during the great Homemade Marshmallows craze of 2006, I did a lot of reading. A hella lot of reading, and fantasizing about owning a stand mixer. Supposedly, xanthan gum - or a mix of agar agar and xanthan - makes a pretty good gelatin substitute. I just re-read some old saved stuff and there was a recommendation for a recipe in Elizabeth Faulkner's book, "Demolition Desserts", for xanthan gum marshmallows.

ChillOver powder from MaryJane's Farm is supposed to be excellent, as are the kits from Angel Food. Hey, we're moving to NZ anyway, right?

So, yeah, I like food.

[Poppy Fields]

Eating my salad for lunch - dressing = hot bacon fat! - I was reminded to share a delightful Dutch dish with you, called stamppot.

You need: potatoes (duh), endive (which are disgusting anywhere outside of stamppot), random other leafy green vegetables if desired, and pork belly (I think?) with a thick layer of fat. Sorry, I don't know exact details, but I'm sure you'll figure them out!

Cube the pork and render down for hours. Boil potatoes and veggies (except for endive) separately; add together and mash. Slice endive and pour hot pork fat over, effectively cooking it and making it palatable. Add endive and pork cubes to potato-veg mash. Eat. Survive cold Dutch winter.

I also recommend hutspot with lamb chops. Lamb fat as dressing, naturally.

[Poppy Fields]

I choked on my lunch!
And they say all the prophets are dead ;)

Wink Holliday said:

Silkscreened bacon/sugar skull print from http://nicodemusgreen.etsy.com

[Poppy Fields]

Heeeeee!
Imagine these snuggled up to a pair of blinged-out Hello Kitty Chucks? I think my wardrobe might implode from Teh Awesome!

If I had an iPhone, you know I would be $1.99 poorer.

Wink Holliday said:

Okay, let us, for a moment, ignore the fact that there is an iPhone app that not only suggests new bacon recipes, but also MIMICS THE SOUND OF FRYING BACON on your choice of six different surfaces, because as much as I love bacon, I am not paying $1.99 so that my phone can SOUND like bacon. Instead, let us wantwantwantwantwant these:

Seen at http://www.timothyliles.com/index.php?/sneakers/bacon-and-eggs

[Poppy Fields]

Thanks for the feedback - nice to hear from someone who has first-hand experience messing about with molecular gastro! My guess would be that agar-agar is more rubbery than xanthan? Did you ever use guar gum?

Violet Fox said:

Xanthan Gum and Agar make EXCELLENT subsitutes for gelletin.. That's if they aren't better than the REAL THING! I used to use them a lot as thickening agents and making jelly things at a restaurant I used to work at.. I'd take the Xanthan Gum over the Agar though.. We did a lot of molecular gastronomy accents with our dishes like passionfuit caviar and such.. It was awesome..!!

Oh, and did I metion that we smoke our own bacon at the restaurant that I work at now.. *grins* good lord is it ever tasty.

[Violet Fox]

Agar is more finnicy than Xanthan.. And Guar Gum doesn't get quite the same results I found.. The Xanthan Gum seems to be more consistent and reliable.. A lot less of a headache really, and probably easier to find than the Agar=)

Poppy Fields said:

Thanks for the feedback - nice to hear from someone who has first-hand experience messing about with molecular gastro! My guess would be that agar-agar is more rubbery than xanthan? Did you ever use guar gum?

Violet Fox said:

Xanthan Gum and Agar make EXCELLENT subsitutes for gelletin.. That's if they aren't better than the REAL THING! I used to use them a lot as thickening agents and making jelly things at a restaurant I used to work at.. I'd take the Xanthan Gum over the Agar though.. We did a lot of molecular gastronomy accents with our dishes like passionfuit caviar and such.. It was awesome..!!

Oh, and did I metion that we smoke our own bacon at the restaurant that I work at now.. *grins* good lord is it ever tasty.