Marie Rama's Blog, page 16
March 20, 2013
How Thick Is Thick Cut?
Associate tastings and testings editor Amy Graves uses a dial caliper to measure the thickness of a slice of supermarket bacon during while doing research for an upcoming taste test of different brands of the popular breakfast meat, due to be published in an upcoming issue of Cook’s Illustrated. See more behind-the-scenes photos at: http://bit.ly/o0qi36
March 18, 2013
pbs-food:
When passions combine, Chef Max took his love of...
When passions combine, Chef Max took his love of basketball with his passion for cuisine. Meet the personal chef to Amar’e Stoudemire of the New York Knicks.
Chef Maxcel Hardy Interview | PBS Black Culture Connection
Great Blog Marie!
I’m getting hungry reading the fabulous memories of your childhood, the food-centered family events and your wonderful recipes! Can’t wait to buy Bacon Nation!
March 17, 2013
Countdown to Release of BACON NATION!
It’s hard for me to believe that Peter Kaminsky and I started working on Bacon Nation about three years ago. But it’s no surprise that creating a cookbook of substance and size is (and should be!) a long and laborious process of researching, testing, refining, writing, editing, and meticulously proofing every recipe. Workman Publishing is just seven weeks away from releasing Bacon Nation, and I am very excited that it will soon be in the hands of bacon lovers and home cooks searching for ideas to make better appetizers, soups, salads, vegetable side dishes, roasts and fish dishes, and even desserts for everyday meals and special occasions.
From now until its May 7th publication date, I’m going to entice you with pictures and information about some of the complete recipes you’ll find in Bacon Nation. I do hope you like what you see.
Bacon Cheese Straws
I wanted to make cheese straws with the natural salty, meatiness of bacon and envisioned them as perfect for serving to my sons and husband who are giant New York Giants fans. Now that our two sons are adults and busy with their own lives, I think often about luring them home with the promise of good food. These Bacon Cheese Straws can kick off a party for family or friends and are perfect accompanied by a nice bottle of red Rioja or cold beer. Toss in a sporting event to watch together (it doesn’t have to be football) and you’ve got the makings of a great afternoon.
To make the crispy straws, I started with a commercially prepared frozen puff pastry, easily found in any major supermarket. Cooked bacon and grated Parmesan cheese are first sprinkled onto the pastry and then rolled and under sheets of parchment paper into the pastry.
A tape measure is useful for rolling the puff pastry into a large square and then for measuring and cutting equally-wide strips that are twisted into straws before they are baked.
Even with a measuring tape to guide you, the straws will probably end up having slightly different widths. Just do the best you can to cut them evenly. A ravioli or pizza cutter is the perfect tool for this step.
That’s all I’m gonna say about this recipe. I hope I’ve made you hungry and got you thinking about making these cheese straws from Bacon Nation. They certainly did the trick for my husband Mark and our two sons, Nicholas and William.
Take care!
Marie
March 14, 2013
epicurious:
devidsketchbook:
CREATIVITY WITH FOOD BY HONG...
Artist Hong Yi | Posted by devidsketchbook.com
Artist Hong Yi | Posted by devidsketchbook.com
Artist Hong Yi | Posted by devidsketchbook.com
Artist Hong Yi | Posted by devidsketchbook.com
Artist Hong Yi | Posted by devidsketchbook.com
CREATIVITY WITH FOOD BY HONG YI
Malaysian artist and architect Hong Yi aka Red Hong (facebook)
Play with your food!
Delightful! Hone Yi, what can you make with bacon?
pbs-food:
Happy Pi(e) Day!
Raspberry Pie Recipe
Use this...
Happy Pi(e) Day!
Use this recipe or my apple piece recipe or your own favorite but don’t let the day go by without a slice of homemade pie!
Not Your Grandmother's Irish Soda Bread!
Traditional Irish soda bread was originally a mix of inexpensive ingredients — flour, baking soda, salt and soured milk or buttermilk. Present day cooks have taken great liberties with the recipe, adding ingredients such as caraway seeds, sugar, egg, currants or raisins, and even whole-wheat flour.
This Irish Soda Bread recipe, in honor of St. Patrick and every one who celebrates the spirit of the Irish, intensifies soda bread’s flavor by adding bacon and rosemary, a little brown sugar for sweetness, and a little black pepper for a pleasant bite. I love the crumbly-biscuit like crust and interior of soda bread, and unlike yeast bread, it’s easily thrown together in just minutes. Serve it with roast beef, a lamb stew, or a piece of grilled salmon. It makes a wonderful savory dinner party bread, and the recipe is easily doubled to make two loaves.
In Bacon Nation you’ll find recipes for Herbed Bacon Flatbread, Bacon and Rosemary Shortbread, Bacon Crumbled Topped Bran Muffins, Cheddar Cheese and Bacon Biscuits, and Bacon and Cranberry Cornbread because bacon makes these and other kinds of quick breads and muffins so much better!
3 slices bacon, cut into ¼-inch pieces
1-1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
1-1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1- 3/4 cups all purpose flour, plus flour for bread top
1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1-1/2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup, plus 1 tablespoon, well-shaken buttermilk
1.) Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
2.) Cook the bacon in a small skillet over medium heat about 4 to 5 minutes or until some of the fat is rendered and the bacon is lightly browned. Add the rosemary and cook about 30 seconds more, or just until fragrant. Transfer the bacon-rosemary mixture, including all the pan drippings to a medium mixing bowl.
Recipe Tip: You don’t want to overcook the bacon at this stage. Ideally, you want the bacon to retain some of its fat so that it releases that fat into the bread when it’s baked. Remember this tip whenever a recipe calls for first sauteeing the bacon and then roasting or baking it later in the dish.
3.) Add the butter to the skillet and cook over medium heat until the butter is melted and golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the skillet from the heat and set it aside.
4.) Add the bacon-rosemary mixture, the 1-3/4 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pepper and salt to a large bowl and stir to combine. Combine the buttermilk and the browned butter (using a rubber spatula to scrape all the melted butter from the skillet) and pour it over the flour mixture; stir with a fork until the flour mixture forms a moist dough.
5.) Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface …
and knead it gently just until the dough comes together, about 6 to 7 times. (Don’t over knead the dough or the bread will be tough.) Shape the dough into a ball and then flatten into a 6-inch round …
6.) Place the round on the baking sheet. Sprinkle the top lightly with a little extra flour. Using a sharp knife, cut a large, 1/2-inch-deep X in the top of the loaf …
7.) Bake the bread until its top is a golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 1 loaf
Recipe Variation: About 2 minutes after cooking the bacon in the skillet, add 1/3 cup chopped onion and sauté 3 minutes more or until the onion is slightly softened and the bacon is lightly browned. Then add the rosemary and proceed with the recipe as directed.
March 12, 2013
You can combine your passion for bacon with your passion for doing good by attending a Baconfest in...
You can combine your passion for bacon with your passion for doing good by attending a Baconfest in either Chicago, San Francisco or D.C. A portion of the money raised goes towards food charities in each city. Unfortunately for some of us, the event is so popular that Baconfest Chicago is already sold out; but to grab a ticket to one of the other bacon festivals go to this site: http://baconfestchicago.com/sf-details.
Golden Rasher Awards are bestowed on best artisanal bacons, on mixologists and brewers who infuse their beers and cocktails with bacon, on local bacon craftsmen and amateur cooks (view the finalists’ recipes on the Baconfest website) and even on artists with poems, videos, and songs inspired by our beloved muse … bacon. Sounds like a great day to kick back and enjoy the many splendid joys of bacon.
Bacon in a Beef Burger Patty
I saw this recipe, Bacon-Boosted Patty Melt, from the Tasting Table, http://www.tastingtable.com/entry_detail/national/12786/chefs_recipes/A_sandwich_classic_gets_some_love.htm.
It’s supports the idea (as I’ve shown you in a previous post on making turkey burgers) that for a better ground beef or turkey burger, add a little raw bacon to the patty mixture. Push this notion a little further to upgrade your favorite meatloaf or meatball recipe.
In this interesting recipe, the bacon is first frozen solid and then ground up in the bowl of a food processor before it’s added to the ground beef mixture. (I’m guessing they call for freezing the bacon so it grinds finely in the processor.) With further additions of caraway seeds, Swiss cheese, mayonnaise, toasted rye bread, and Worchestershire sauce, you can taste the sublime layers of flavor before the patties leave the frying pan.
March 11, 2013
Jimmy Fallon Roasts a Pork Belly
In this hulu video clip, Michael Symon, author of Carnivore, shows my favorite TV host, Jimmy Fallon, how to season and roast a whole pork belly using pancetta, garlic and herbs. Guaranteed to make your mouth water!
