Bacon Jam

It's sweet. It's salty. It's spicy. It can go on ANYTHING. It's bacon jam and you know you want it...

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. fine-quality applewood smoked bacon

1 Tbsp. butter

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp. corn syrup

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. chilli powder

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

1 1/2 tsp. yellow mustard

2/3 cup strong coffee

1/3 cup balsamic vinegar

1 shot bourbon

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

2 Tbsp. hot sauce

salt & pepper to taste

  Fry the bacon until crispy. Drain the bacon on paper towels & remove all but 2 Tbsp. of the fat from the pan. 

Add butter to the pan & scrape all the dark crispy bits from the bottom as it melts. Saute the onion in the fat with the brown sugar on med-low heat for 15 minutes.

Add corn syrup & all the spices. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the mustard, coffee, vinegar, bourbon, maple syrup, hot sauce, salt & pepper. Stir until thoroughly mixed. Return bacon to pan, cover, and cook for 1 hour over low heat, stirring occasionally. 

Pour mixture into a food processor while still hot. Pulse a few times until spreadable but chunky. Pour into a canning jar and refrigerate. As the jam cools, it will seal the jar. Bring to room temperature before using.

This is especially tasty on bagel chips with goat cheese. Or toast. Or sandwiches. Or virtually any other edible item.

Poppy Seed Pancakes with Spiced Oranges

Breakfast is not only the most important meal of the day, it is often the most boring (in America, anyway). We pour ourselves a bowl of General Mills cereal or cram our cheeks with a few Pop Tarts and go on our merry way to the oodles of things more important than tasty eatings.

This recipe will have none of that nonsense. Take a break. Pour some good coffee. And let these breakfast beauties steal the freakin' show.

FOR THE SPICED BROWN SUGAR

2 TBSP. brown sugar

 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. cloves

A few drops lemon juice or a generous pinch of lemon zest

FOR THE ORANGES

 2 large oranges

1 recipe of spiced brown sugar

FOR THE PANCAKES

 1 cup flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 1/2 tsp. brown sugar

1/3 cup poppy seeds

1 egg

1 Tbsp. honey

1/3 cup sour cream

1/3 cup milk

8 oz. mascarpone cheese, to serve

To make the spiced oranges, mix together the ingredients for the spiced brown sugar and set aside. Grate the zest of one orange for use in the pancakes. Peel & slice the oranges crosswise as finely as you can while maintaining the integrity of their structure.

Arrange the fruit slices on a plate and sprinkle with the sugar. Set aside to allow them to become juicy and flavorful. 

To make the pancakes, mix together the flour, baking powder, and baking soda in a large bowl. Stir in the brown sugar and poppy seeds.

In a second bowl, mix together the egg, honey, sour cream, and milk. Add the reserved orange zest and beat well. Add to the dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Add more milk if too thick.

Grease a skillet and heat until a spit-dampened finger gives a satisfying "pop" when quickly touched to the surface. Pour a few tablespoons of batter onto the griddle to form each pancake and cook until golden-brown on each side. 

To serve, spread mascarpone cheese on two pancakes and top each with a slice of spiced orange. Tuck in.

Nothing Says "Cupcakes" like Hello

Any new neighbor will agree: there is no better "welcome" gift than a Tupperware container chock full of cupcakes. So, forget the casseroles and popcorn balls and accept these decadent little devils as my housewarming present to you. Welcome.

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups flour

2 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 cup milk mixed with 1/2 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 tsp. Kahlua

1 cup strong coffee

FOR THE BUTTERCREAM

6 oz semisweet chocolate

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 egg yolk

2 1/2 tsp. Kahlua

1 1/4 cups powdered sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, combine the milk & yogurt, oil, eggs, and Kahlua (you could substitute vanilla for Kahlua, but... why?).

 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixture and gently mix until just combined. Add the coffee and stir until combined. If you overmix, the cupcakes will become dry and nasty. Just take it easy.

Prepare muffin tins with paper liners and fill 3/4 full with the batter.

Be sure you have enough cupcake liners ahead of time.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack until completely room temperature before frosting.

To Prepare the Frosting:

 Melt the chocolate over med-low heat in a thick-bottomed saucepan or, if your attention is limited and you are wont to burning things, in a double boiler. Remove from heat when mostly melted. Stir to melt completely and let cool to room temperature.

 

With an electric mixer (or a high-endurance arm), beat the butter until fluffy and light yellow. Add the egg yolk and continue beating for 3 minutes. 

With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar. Beat at medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in the Kahlua. Spread onto cooled cakes and give to your favorite neighbor. 

Or, you know, just eat them all right then and there... not that I would do that or anything.