Rama Marie - The party begins with bacon: 15 irresistible recipes

Photography by Lucy Schaeffer

Workman Publishing
New York

Contents

Introduction:

Celebrating Begins with Bacon!

Between Thanksgiving and the Super Bowl Game its party season in America. During these months, many of us invite friends and family into our homes to celebrate with foods that entertain, satisfy, and impress. Great appetizers can help break the ice and jump-start a party. Here, from Bacon Nation, a cookbook of 125 through-the-menu recipes, are fifteen fabulous party recipes to kick off your next great gathering. Because, honestly, who doesnt love party starters that rely on the tantalizing sweet, salty, meaty, smoky tastes of bacon?

Your guests will be amazed at your ingenuity when you serve them edible mini-mouthwatering bits of bacon, pork, beef, spices and chipotle peppers!

In addition to twelve party starters, weve also included three bacon desserts in this mini cookbook. Homemade treats from your kitchen make the best gifts for significant others, and if you have kids they will love helping you whip up a batch of . Its everything its name implies, all bound together with caramelized sugar. It freezes well so you can enjoy a little piece of it every night for months. But fair warningits so good and wont last that long!

If you like this sampling of recipes, Bacon Nation has dozens more main dishes, side dishes, stuffings, breads, desserts, salads, and soups to entertain your party guests. One personal favorite for a holiday brunch or breakfast is our French Toast Bread Pudding with Bacon and Cinnamon; its scents of cinnamon, bacon, and maple syrup are simply irresistible.

Let the partying begin, and whatever the special occasion, happy celebrating to all!

Makes 1 swizzle stick, can be multiplied as desired

Most swizzle sticks do one thing well: They swizzle. One evening, we invited our friend Richard Bonomo over to enjoy a cocktail and taste a few of our newly tested bacon recipes. Richard, a chemist and avid cook, helped us find a way to make a bacon swizzle stick hold its spiral shape by wrapping it in a paper towel before popping it in the microwave. Sometimes it really helps to have a scientist in the kitchen. The swizzle sticks are great with Bloody Marys, martinis, and planters punch. Keep experimenting; its fun.

1 slice medium-thick bacon (see Note)

Arrange a slice of bacon diagonally on top of a piece of paper towel. Holding the slice of bacon at each end, twist the slice in opposite directions into a tight spiral. Fold the paper towel in half over the twisted bacon slice so that the towels opposite corners meet. Then, starting at the fold, roll the paper towel under the palms of your hands around the bacon into a tube. Microwave the bacon in its rolled paper towel on high power until it is firm and shaped like a swizzle stick, about 1 minute and 15 seconds. Because microwave ovens vary in power, check for doneness after about 1 minute. Unroll the paper towel and let the swizzle stick cool before using it as a garnish for your favorite Bloody or Virgin Mary.

Note: To make more than one bacon swizzle stick at a time increase the microwave time by about 1 minute for each additional slice of bacon. The length of microwaving time will depend on the power of your microwave oven.

Makes 14 cheese straws

History doesnt record the genius who came up with the idea of baking cheese into crisps, but our guess is it was someone in the Deep South in the days before refrigeration when cheese wouldnt keep very long. Cheese straws are the ideal predinner finger foodcrunchy and salty, with just enough fat to keep the hunger pangs at bay. Some old-time recipes call for cheddar cheese, but with the puff pastry we use here we found in our testing that using cheddar can make the final result soggy. We love the concentrated umami punch in Parmesan, which gets even stronger and more satisfying when you add bacon. Cheese straws are great with beer, or Champagne, or martinis, or come to think of it, just about any cocktail.

You might ask why you would want to spend the time making cheese straws when the supermarket probably has pretty good commercial ones. Fair enough, but you cant buy bacony cheese straws like these.

6 slices bacon, diced

1 teaspoon your choice of hot sauce

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, preferably Pepperidge Farm, thawed at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes

cup (3 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Scant teaspoon salt

Place racks in the upper-middle and lower-middle positions in the oven and preheat the oven to 425F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.

Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly browned and most of the fat is rendered, 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often and adjusting the heat as necessary. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Place the bacon in a small mixing bowl and toss it with the hot sauce.

Place the puff pastry on a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle the pastry with half of the Parmesan cheese, half of the bacon and hot sauce mixture, and teaspoon of salt. Place a second piece of parchment paper over the cheese and bacon. Using a rolling pin, press the cheese and bacon into the puff pastry by rolling back and forth several times over the pastry. Keeping the parchment paper in place, carefully flip the puff pastry over so the cheese and bacon side faces down. Remove the parchment paper from the top of the pastry and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese, bacon mixture, and teaspoon of salt over it. Cover the pastry again with the parchment paper. Using the rolling pin, press the cheese and bacon into the pastry. Measure the puff pastry and then roll it out, as necessary, to form a 10-inch square.

Remove the parchment paper from the top of the puff pastry and, using a pizza cutter or a sharp knife, cut the pastry into fourteen -inch-wide strips. Holding a strip of pastry at each end, twist the ends in opposite directions into a spiral and place the pastry strip on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pastry, arranging the cheese pastry strips about 1 inch apart and placing 7 on each prepared baking sheet.

Bake the pastry strips until they are puffed and golden brown, about 10 minutes, switching the positions of the baking sheets from the top to bottom racks after 5 minutes. Transfer the baked cheese straws to a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes before serving. The cheese straws are best eaten the day they are made.

Makes about cup

If anyone were to rank recipes by how much flavor you get compared to how much time they take to make, we think this one would be in the running for Most Flavor Per Minute. Bacon Jam combines almost all the flavor giants into one dish: saltiness, meatiness, sweetness, peppery heat, bright acidity, and fruitiness. It makes a wonderful condiment for hamburgers or grilled steak. Its great with cream cheese on a toasted bagel. And the next time you serve an appetizer platter of assorted cheeses, be sure to include a bowl of Bacon Jam. Your guests will love a spoonful of it atop a slice of goat cheese or Brie. The recipe is really no more than a road map that you should feel free to adjust according to your taste. We like it hot and spicy but its delicious without jalapeos. When serving the jam with spareribs or grilled chicken, try rosemary instead of ginger. Bourbon has just the right amount of sweet, smooth smokiness that complements bacon so well, although a really peaty Scotch is worth a try, too.