Cross - 101 More Things to Do with Bacon

101 More Things to Do with Bacon

Eliza Cross

101 More Things to Do with Bacon

Digital Edition 1.0

Text 2016 Eliza Cross

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Gibbs Smith

P.O. Box 667

Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.835.4993

www.gibbs-smith.com

ISBN: 978-1-4236-4393-7

For Jose Luis Castaneda

6 strips bacon, cut in 1/4-inch pieces

1/2 cup butter, softened, divided

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar, divided

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 sheet packaged frozen puff pastry, thawed

1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cook the bacon in a large frying pan over medium heat until most of the fat has rendered. Transfer bacon to paper towels and drain; reserve.

In a medium bowl, cream together 7 tablespoons butter with 1/3 cup brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Divide the mixture between the cups of a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan. Divide the chopped pecans and cooked bacon between the cups.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured work surface with the folds opening left to right. Brush with the melted butter and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar and the cinnamon. Starting at the bottom edge, tightly roll up the pastry and pinch the seam to seal. Cut the roll into 12 equal pieces. Arrange pieces with spiral facing up in the muffin cups.

Bake for 1520 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 5 minutes; immediately invert pan on prepared baking sheet, scraping any remaining sauce from the cups and spreading it on top of the buns. Let the buns cool slightly before serving. Makes 12 buns.

8 eggs, divided

1 tablespoon butter

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

4 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 sheet packaged frozen puff pastry, thawed

1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, beat 7 of the eggs; reserve. In a large frying pan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beaten eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft curds form. Add the cream cheese and cook for 1 minute, stirring until combined. Add the bacon, salt, and pepper, and stir to incorporate. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and cool to room temperature.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 16-inch square and cut in 4 equal squares. Divide the egg mixture evenly on each square, just slightly off center. In a small bowl, beat the remaining egg with the water. Brush the edges of each pastry square with the beaten egg and fold over to form 4 triangles. Crimp the edges with the tines of a fork to seal. Transfer the turnovers to prepared baking sheet and brush the tops with the remaining beaten egg. Bake until golden, about 25 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving. Makes 4 servings.

3 tablespoons butter

2 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

6 cups cubed day-old French bread

1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled

5 eggs

2-1/4 cups milk

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup chopped, toasted pecans

In a large frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the apples and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Prepare an 8 x 8-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and arrange half of the bread cubes evenly in the bottom. Top with half of the bacon, and then half of the apples. Repeat layers. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and salt, and pour evenly over the strata. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and bake for 4555 minutes, or until puffed, golden, and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

In a small saucepan, heat the syrup and pecans until warmed, stirring once. Drizzle sauce over the strata when ready to serve. Makes 9 servings.