culinary capers – bacon

I’m not sure there are enough words to convey how excited I was when my dear friend Kathy (who blogs over at Friday Night Family) announced this week’s big ingredient. Truth be told, I asked her to marry me on the spot. Forget that she’s engaged and I’m already married to the love of my life. That’s how much I love bacon.

I spent quite a bit of time waffling back and forth (mmmmm… bacon waffles!) and finally settled on a take on a focaccia recipe I’ve been eyeing for a while.

Stay with me on this, friends… thin crust pizza with caramelized pears and onions… gorgonzola… and candied bacon. Quite possibly one of the best flavor combinations I’ve ever had the pleasure of consuming. Promise me you’ll try this one sooner rather than later. It’s perfect with a spinach salad and a glass of chardonnay.

Caramelized Pear and Onion Pizza w/ Gorgonzola and Candied Bacon
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium pears, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 large onion, sliced thinly
1 ball of your favorite pizza dough
1 batch skinny alfredo sauce (recipe follows)
1/4 cup shredded Italian Cheese Blend
3/4 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
5 slices candied bacon (recipe follows), chopped

Place a pizza stone in your cold oven and preheat oven to 475 degrees F.

While oven preheats, melt the butter in medium skillet on medium heat. Add brown sugar and pears. Cook 3-5 minutes until melted sugar coats the pears evenly. Remove from skillet and set aside. Without cleaning pan, add onions to leftover melted sugar and reduce heat to medium low. Allow onions to caramelize for 7-10 minutes until soft and golden. Remove pan from heat and allow to cool while you start on the crust.

Form crust to the thickness desired. Place on hot pizza stone and pre-bake for 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven and spread with alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with caramelized onions and Italian cheese blend. Top with caramelized pears, then crumbled gorgonzola, and finish with chopped bacon.

Reduce oven temp to 400 degrees F and return stone with pizza to the oven for 10-15 minutes or until topping is golden and bubbly. Cut and serve immediately.

Skinny Alfredo Sauce
1/2 cup skim milk
3 wedges Laughing Cow cheese
1 tablespoon shredded parmesan
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
freshly ground pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk over low heat until  smooth. If mixture is too thin, thicken with a cornstarch slurry (you’ll want it to be pretty thick to serve as the “sauce” for your pizza). Adjust seasonings to taste.

Candied Bacon
4 slices bacon
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and place a cooling rack on top. Place bacon slice on the rack and bake for 15-20 minutes until slices reach desired crispness. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Mélange? Mélange!

I asked my mom tonight why we never ate Brussels sprouts when I was a kid. She says that I didn’t like them.

Hmmm. I don’t remember not liking Brussels sprouts – in fact, I don’t even remember trying them. So, I have to take her word on it. Thankfully, this is another one of those instances in which it appears my tastes have matured and generally improved over time because, as an adult, I love Brussels sprouts.

I also love the many things I can do with these little green beauties. You can steam, roast, and sauté them. You can cook them whole, or quartered. You can even shred them. It’s all good. And this recipe? This recipe is GOOD.

How can it not be good when it starts out with all of these good things?

It just gets better from there. Fifteen minutes later, you’ve got a beautiful, and tasty mélange (that’s a fancy French way of saying mixture of foods).

Braised Potato and Brussels Sprouts Mélange
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup red potatoes (approximately 6), quartered
3/4 cup onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
1 cup red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2″ squares
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons parmesan or asiago cheese, grated

Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add potatoes and sauté 5-6 minutes until brown on all cut sides. Add onion and bell pepper and continue to cook until onion is soft. Add Brussels sprouts and chicken stock. Cover, reduce heat slightly, and cook 7-8 minutes, until potatoes and Brussels sprouts are just tender. Season with parsley, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with cheese before serving. (serves two)