Jamming With Bacon

The old adage that everything is better with bacon holds true.  In my quest for new bacon related recipes I stumbled upon this one from King Arthur Flour.  Because it is made in a crock pot, the hands on time for this dish is minimal and your entire house will be filled with the sweet and salty aroma of this jam before you are done.  I was initially taken aback by the ingredients, which individually I love but I just couldn't fathom being put together as a single dish (maple syrup mixed with coffee???), but the results surprised me........after all everything is better with bacon.  Whether served on bread slices and paired with a salad for a light dinner or paired with bread and goat cheese as part of a buffet table, this jam is a hit.

Not having boiled cider on hand, and being unable to have it shipped to me, I improvised by making a reduction of apple juice cooked with a whole cinnamon stick and five whole cloves.  The result isn't quite the same but the resulting syrup seemed to do the trick.

BACON JAM

1 1/2 pounds bacon

2 medium onions, peeled and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

1/4 cup boiled cider

3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

2 dried bay leaves

Salt and pepper to taste

1)  Slice the bacon into 1" slices and cook in a large skillet until well browned.  Drain the fat and reserve the bacon.

2)  Place the cooked bacon and all other ingredients into a 2 quart or larger crock pot.  Cover and cook  on high for 3 to 4 hours.

3)  Remove the cooked jam from the crock pot, remove the bay leaves, and carefully transfer to a food processor or blender.  (I used a bowl and my trusty stick blender).  Pulse until the consistency is to your liking, a soft, spreadable jam.  You can leave the bacon in larger bits or pulse until very small, your choice.

4)  If you find the jam too liquid for your taste, transfer to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the liquid has evaporated and the jam is thick and syrupy.  Adjust the seasonings and serve warm.

5)  Store airtight in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.  Warm in the microwave before serving.

Yield:  2 cups

Mediterranean Vegetable Bread

Like so many cooks I find recipes that inspire me and then tweak them to my own liking.  I'm also an avid reader of cooking blogs and my favorite, Adventures of the Yankee Kitchen Ninja, regularly posts recipes that intrigue and inspire me.  (It doesn't hurt that this blog is also written by a fellow Mount Holyoke alum).

The Kitchen Ninja posted this recipe as a savory olive bread after having tweaked it herself from Susan Hermann Loomis, author of On Rue Tatin.  See, this is how recipes evolve!  The Kitchen Ninja's recipe called for 3 1/2 cups of fresh spinach.  Try as I might, I could not find any fresh spinach, or any suitable substitute in Albania in November.  I used a small amount of frozen spinach instead and added in shredded carrots for bulk.  I also added fresh chopped basil.  The only jarred roasted red peppers I had in my pantry were marinated so I used those instead of the plain variety.  The result?  A tangy vegetable infused bread the blended together my favorite flavors of the Mediterranean.

MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE BREAD

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 eggs

1/4 cup olive oil

2 garlic cloves,  minced

1 cup frozen spinach, chopped and squeezed dry with leaves separated

2 cups shredded carrots

1/2 cup chopped basil leaves

1 cup marinated roasted red peppers, chopped

1 heaping cup black olives, chopped

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1)  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C.  Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

2)  Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.

3)  In another large bowl, beat the eggs; whisk in the olive oil, then stir in the garlic, spinach, carrots,

      and basil.

4)  Add the flour  mixture and stir until well combined.  Fold in the red peppers, olives,

      black pepper, and cheese.

4)  Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes, until the bread is browned and a

     skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.  Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes then

     continue cooling on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Donuts

Cooking with Mamma

In celebration of fall, and in preparation of a postponed Embassy-wide Halloween celebration, Sidney and I made homemade doughnuts this weekend.  I dipped into my precious stash of imported canned pumpkin puree and broke out my new mini doughnut pans in order to make this super fast and easy pumpkin cake doughnut recipe from King Arthur Flour.

If you don't have a doughnut mold- and how many of us really do- you can use a muffin pan which would probably be easier to fill.  The results will be the same; a light and richly flavored pumpkin morsel to help celebrate this autumn season.

BAKED PUMPKIN CAKE DOUGHNUTS

DOUGHNUTS

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

COATING

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1)  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease two doughnut pans.  (I used miniature ones and
      reduced my baking time but standard sized ones or even muffin pans will also work).

2)  Beat together the oil, eggs sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.

3)  Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.

4)  Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full.  Bake for 10 minutes for miniature doughnuts, 15
      minutes for standard sized ones, and 25 minutes for standard sized muffins.

5)  Remove the doughnuts from the oven, and after about 5 minutes loosen their edges, and transfer
      them to a wire rack to cool.  Repeat the baking process until all the batter has been used.

6)  Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a pie plate.  While the doughnuts are still warm, roll the
     doughnuts in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

7)  Cool completely, and wrap airtight; store at room temperature for several days.

Double Corn and Thyme Cornbread

The only cornbread my family
will eat

I love to serve a good cornbread as an accompaniment to a bowl of chili but have never been able to find one that is moist enough to satisfy my finicky boys (yes, both of them).  This one, from Joanne Chang's Flour Cookbook, turned out to be a winner.  (In fact, every recipe I have made from this book has been a success.  As an added bonus, ingredients are listed in both standard American measurements as well as by weight which saves those of us in Europe from having to do those painful conversions).

The recipe called for creme fraiche but lacking both the creme fraiche and my usual substitute of sour cream, I made my own substitute of 7/8 cup of buttermilk (re-hydrated buttermilk powder from King Arthur Flour since we also don't have fresh buttermilk in Albania) and 3 tablespoons of melted butter.  This substitute seemed to do the trick but I am looking forward to making this again using creme fraiche.  I think that will take the bread from very good to outstanding.   The recipe also called for baking the bread in a 9-by-13 inch loaf pan. Preferring to serve the bread in wedges, I used a 10-inch round cake pan instead and this worked out well.

DOUBLE-CORN AND THYME CORN BREAD

1 cup (200 grams) coarse yellow cornmeal
2 1/2 cups (350 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup (56 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup (50 grams) canola oil
1/4 cup (55 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 cup (240 grams) milk
3/4 cup (180 grams) creme fraiche
1 cup (160 grams) fresh or frozen corn kernels
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme


1)  Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 350 degrees F / 180 degrees C.  Butter
      a cake pan.

2)  In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until
      combined.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, oil, and brown sugar until a thick
      slurry forms.  Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and then whisk in the milk and creme fraiche.

Dry ingredients

3)  Pour the egg-sugar mixture into the cornmeal mixture, and then, using a rubber spatula, fold together
      until all of the cornmeal is completely incorporated.

Egg mixture

4)   Fold in the corn kernels and the thyme until they are evenly distributed throughout the batter.  The batter will be thick and pasty.  Spread the batter evenly into the prepared pan.

Corn and thyme

Ready for the oven

4)  Bake for 40-50 minutes (mine baked for 45 minutes in the round pan), or until the top is a light
     golden brown and the center springs back when you poke it in the middle with a fingertip.  Let cool
     completely in the pan on a wire rack, then cut into 12 wedges.

5)  The corn bread can be stored, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature for up to 2 days
      or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks.  If frozen, thaw at room temperature for 3 or 4 hours and refresh
      in a 300 degree F /150 degree C oven for 8 minutes.