Bacon Jam

Two words that are not usually put together in the same phrase: bacon and jam. It has definitely become a hot and happening condiment. Everything is better with bacon, right?

While this relish seems to be new to the culinary scene, it’s actually a riff on an Austrian dish called Verhackert. That dish, however, traditionally takes about two months of aging, only includes bacon, garlic, and salt, and is usually minced down to a fine consistency.

This recipe chops the bacon, cooks it down, and adds brown sugar and two kinds of vinegars. Honestly, with a base of bacon and onions, you can pretty much add a bunch of different ingredients. Maple syrup. Bourbon. Honey instead of brown sugar. Rosemary or sage instead of thyme. You could even whizz it in the food processor if you like it more spreadable. Get creative!

Here’s the recipe:

1 ½ lbs. bacon chopped

2 tsp. butter

3 lg. yellow onions, minced

1 tsp. salt

¼ c. brown sugar

¼ c. sherry vinegar

1 ½ tsp. Herbes de Provence

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 pinch cayenne

½ c. water

2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

Place chopped bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until bacon is crisp and fat is rendered. Remove bacon and pour out majority of bacon fat, leaving a little left in the bottom of the pan. Add butter and then sweat onions with salt.

Next, throw in your brown sugar, sherry vinegar, pepper, cayenne, and Herbes de Provence. (You can substitute with fresh herbs, if you like.) Stir in water and cook down until mixture has a jammy consistency. Remove from heat and stir in the balsamic and the olive oil.

Enjoy with crackers, baguettes, or just hunks of cheese. A nice IPA, a rich Cabernet, or even a glass of champagne would be perfectly acceptable pairings.

Awesome Sauce

Here’s a little gift idea: vanilla-spiked caramel bourbon sauce. Yes, I used all those luscious words in one sentence. This is the kind of condiment you have on hand for those quick-o desserts. Drizzle over ice cream, waffles, and pancakes. Dip in fluffy Madeleines. Or, just call it a day with you, the jar, and a spoon. Bet it would be pretty nifty in your morning coffee, too. And, it freezes pretty easily so you can always have it around.

Here’s the recipe:

4 c. granulated sugar

5 ½ c. heavy cream

1 TB vanilla extract (or beans from one vanilla pod)

1 ½ tsp. salt

6-8 TB bourbon

In a large saucepan, melt the sugar until it’s a deep amber color, about 20-25 minutes. Add the cream and just keep stirring. The hardened caramel will melt again. Once it is in total liquid form, stir in the other ingredients.

Let the mixture cool. Pour into half pint ball jars. Et voilà! Instant homemade gift!

Note: With the bourbon, make sure it’s a good grade. Anything cheap will probably taste cheap. And, watch the amount. Whiskeys can overpower your palette, so you may want to err on fewer tablespoons rather than more. However, if you’re hoping to drown out your mother-in-law after dinner, add as much bourbon as you like.

Make Meatloaf Great Again

Meatloaf has a long history. It was first noted in the fourth or fifth century A.D. in the Roman cookbook Apicius. Since then, a host of different minced and ground meat dishes arose. The advent of the meat grinder in the 19th century made the dish much easier. But cooks around the world have added wine, dried fruits and nuts, herbs, and even baked hard-boiled eggs inside.

I must admit meatloaf is usually the last dinner option on my mind. Growing up, my dad was the cook in our family. He occasionally made this staple offering and it was, frankly, drier than a North African sandstorm. I grew to hate it, even though I knew plenty of people who craved it. It’s the ultimate comfort food. Yet, other people had fond memories of moist meat and not a hockey puck posing as a meal.

So, it was my mission to find a recipe that did just that: make meatloaf great again. I first started with a classic 1950s, straightforward approach to it. It’s meat, fresh breadcrumbs soaked in milk, shredded carrots and minced onions, eggs, salt and pepper. (There is the addition of grated cheese. In this case, it’s cheddar. But, you could easily replace it with Parmesan or Pecorino Romano.) Plop it in a pan, stick it in the oven, and wait for the goodness.

This recipe also added a glaze made from ketchup, yellow mustard, and brown sugar. Anytime the same condiments used on a hot dog are called for, that’s when you know it’s old school.

Just a side note: I lined the pan with parchment paper. It just makes getting the loaf out easier with less mess.

Here are the ingredients:

3 slices of bread, crumbled

½ c. carrot, grated

⅔ c. onion, grated

1 c. cheddar, grated

2 eggs

⅔ c. milk

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

2 lbs. lean ground beef

Glaze:

½ c. ketchup

½ c. brown sugar

2 TB. yellow mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soak the breadcrumbs in milk until saturated. Whisk eggs and add the remaining ingredients to the mixture. Add the soaked breadcrumbs, mixing thoroughly, before adding the beef. Place all mixed ingredients into an ungreased standard loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Press down to make sure ingredients are evenly spread throughout the pan. Bake 45 minutes with loaf pan on a baking sheet for any overrun.

In a small bowl, combine the glaze ingredients. Remove the meatloaf and coat the top.  Bake for another 30-45 minutes. (I took it out at 30 and let it rest. But if you like you’re meat more well done, you may want to bake it the full time.)

Enjoy this classic meal with mashed potatoes and buttered petite peas. Yum!