Baconcakes!

Baconcakes!

A largely unnoticed slab of yummy Americana, I'm trying to bring it back into the light. It isn't particularly healthy, but it is certainly one of the prettiest breakfasts ever. The concept is also AMAZINGLY simple; I'm sure most can get an idea as to how to do this from the picture alone. The most I can do is give tips for better presentation. However, for the sake of being thorough, I'll give the step by step.
  
For starters, get a nice, medium thickness pancake batter. Too thick and the batter won't pour evenly over the bacon, too thin and you'll have too much spread. Yes, this means you want the batter that Goldilocks chose. (Just right, for those of you who had childhoods bereft of "storytime") Use a box if you like; I grew up in a Bisquick household, myself. Works fine. Pull one from the myriad of pancake recipes off the 'Net if you want to do it yourself. Or you could use this one, below:

(serves about 4)

1 3/4 cups AP Flour
1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
2 tablespoon Granulated Sugar
3 tsp Baking Powder
1 1/4 cups Milk
2 Eggs
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
2 oz Canola Oil

-Mix dry ingredients (except sugar)

-Mix wet ingredients (including sugar)

-Mix dry and wet ingredients together well.


 Put your batter aside for the time being and focus your attention on the Bacon. Now, your Bacon should be thick, meaty, and hickory smoked. A nice, strongly flavored Bacon. A "stand alone" bacon, if you will. From here, you have two options: Bake or Fry.

Frying the bacon has the advantage of pre-oiling the pan before you add your pancake batter. If you're only making this for one or two people it will be the fastest method of production. Also, you can more accurately gauge the doneness of your Bacon. (yes, I capitalize Bacon like a proper noun. It deserves to be.)

Baking has the advantage of giving a flatter slice of Bacon, more even rendering of fat, and better color without as much browning. If you're batching this recipe out for many people, this is the most effective method short of a commercial flattop grill. Best method - Wire rack on a cookie sheet. Reserve all rendered Bacon fat to oil your pan in the final cooking process.

Finale:

-Make sure your pan is well oiled with Bacon fat and that you have a slice of the smoky goodness in your pan.

-Carefully pour your batter over the Bacon lengthwise. Pour evenly and directly over the Bacon, it will spread as much as it needs to. 6 oz to a cup will suffice nicely.

-When your pancake gets bubbly across the top, give it a flip. Cook for another minute or so. It should be golden brown and crispy along the edges.

-Serve with lots of Maple Syrup and Butter.

Plated  with Bacon-Cilantro Roses and Strawberry garnish

-Keep for yourself.

Variations:

Two or more slices of Bacon per pancake, grouped tightly.

Chopped Bacon instead of (or in addition to) slices.
                       

Hickory Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf

I've been getting a little grill-happy as of late. Five nights out of seven this past week I've been on the patio with a Guinness and my new Weber grill (thanks, Jenn!) for hours at a time searing many, many dead animals. It may be going a bit overboard.

Case in point: This morning I had a big, heaping bowl of jumbo sea scallops, wrapped in bacon and grilled well. Last night for supper I had MEAT with a side of MEAT and a MEAT garnish. I was debating washing it down with a tall, frothy glass of gravy. For the Gibson Clan, it is a feast. For the barnyard, it is Armageddon. I have a problem.

But in every problem there lay opportunity. And in this opportunity I've come up with something that may revolutionize the concept of Ground Beef as we know it. In my week of excess I have stumbled on something potentially game-changing: Hickory Grilled Bacon-Wrapped Meatloaf.

Here's what you'll need:

Ground beef (about 1/2 lb per loaf, 2.5 lbs total)
Bread crumbs (half a cup)
Plain potato chips, crushed (half a cup)
2 whole eggs
Lawry's Seasoned Salt (a good tablespoon)
Bacon (12-15 thick slices)

And here's what you do:

-Get your grill going. That's a charcoal grill, folks. Don't let the propane industry fool you. Just can't get the same flavor. For fuel: Charcoal and soaked Hickory Chips. Put the chips directly on the coals before you load up your meat. Alternately, you could use the briquettes with hickory in them, but it's really second-best.

-Mix everything except bacon until uniform. Form into five cigar shapes and wrap in hickory smoked bacon (2 to 3 per loaf). No need to pin it to the meat, just get a good, tight, overlapping wrap.

-Place on a medium heat grill covered, turning as needed.


-Your loaf is done when the bacon is cooked through but not burnt, and meat has a 155 F (68.3 C) internal temp. Lower if you like it more pink.

A couple of things to mention before you really get involved: 1)This is going to vent a LOT of bacon and beef fat into the coals. When you turn them, do so quickly and efficiently. If the grill cover is off for too long this fat will catch fire and might ruin your weekend.  2) I got lazy with the seasoning. Any blend will do, just watch the salt content. The bacon will add a lot of this already, and it's going to lose a bit of moisture while it cooks. You don't want to overpower.





Happy Grilling!

Chicken & Waffles Benedict

Back in college, I took to hanging out with a small group of odd, likeminded people. We had very little in common, with the exception of an appreciation for beer and good food.  Two of them stand out in my memory, David Epps and Marcus Page. I vaguely recall a four-pitcher night with these two ne'er-do-wells when I SWORE that one day, when I was an Executive Chef in charge of an important venue or account, I would serve my clients Chicken & Waffles. Moreover, they would be GRATEFUL for it. I did not know it at the time, but that utterance has stuck with me to this day.

I got my first opportunity to do so with an Interim position with the Oregon Institute of Technology. For two months I took up the mantle of their Executive Chef. It started well enough, I kept a similar menu plan going as their usual and limited my creativity to catered events (with client approval, of course). After a bit the powers that be handed down the assignment of organizing a Weekend Brunch. My words from years ago crept back into the forefront of my brain, reminding me. Taunting. Daring.

You see, office management didn't come in on the weekends. But the Executive Chef implementing a new meal program? Yup, had to be there. It is said that there is no greater tyrant than the Captain of a ship at sea. The same can be said of kitchen leads with total menu control. Armed with this newfound combination of authority and freedom, I declared a standing menu for Sunday Brunch across the whole of resident dining: Southern Fried Chicken and Belgian Waffles.

Two thousand college students and faculty trapped in the Cascade Mountains LOVED it. It's now a permanent fixture on the menu, every Sunday, with lots of maple syrup and hot sauce. 

My inebriated promise had been fulfilled, but something felt unfinished.

The next source of inspiration came from my loving wife, Jenn. You see, she adores my Hollandaise sauce. I make it extra thick and extra lemony. Eggs Benedict and Asparagus makes for an excellent brunch, as well as an excellent excuse to whip up a pint of Stabilized Hollandaise. (details below)

On this occasion, we had it for three meals in a row. Overkill maybe, but you just can't beat a classic. After filling our bellies with poached eggy goodness, we began to discuss alternate methods of making the meal. I offered up my Breaded Oysters Benedict, or a variation with Crabcakes.  My wife suggests Waffles. She does make a lovely Waffle.

The concept reminded me again that I was not yet done with Chicken & Waffles. Or, more likely, Chicken & Waffles was not done with me.

As you can see from the pictures, it's a whole Belgian Waffle for the base. Make sure the batter is slightly sweet. I cannot go into detail about the batter; it's not my recipe and the missus may commit acts of aggression upon me were I to spill it.

Now, I used a Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, butterfly cut to fully separate. Now much thinner, it is soaked in buttermilk and dredged in seasoned flour. The actual seasoning that goes into the flour is a bit of a family secret, as are the circumstances of cooking. I'm from the South. It's kind of how we do things. Either way, make sure your oil is good and hot before dropping your chicken in. It should instantly sizzle and scare you a little. Keep it going until it's golden brown on both sides, and make sure it's fully done. (165 F internal temp will suffice)

Per Jenn's suggestion, the pork product was Bacon. No real reason except that Bacon is so epic it deserves its own anime music intro.  Moving on.

Now the Hollandaise: There is a classic method of preparation that can be easily referenced. Or there are packets you can buy at the market and "just add water". If you're in a commercial kitchen, there is a very passable Hollandaise base that can be had. My approach is different: Start with a classical preparation, but make three alterations to the recipe. 1) do NOT use clarified butter. When it comes time to incorporate butter, use whole, unsalted butter cut into cubes and chilled. Toss in about a third of the butter at a time and keep your whisk moving. 2) After your butter is melted (but before adding lemon juice) throw in an ounce of heavy cream. 3) Use about three times the listed Lemon Juice.  If everything is done properly, you will have a very tangy and extremely stable Hollandaise.

The sauce for this particular dish is a Tabasco flavored Hollandaise. I substituted hot sauce for the vinegar component. It's not for everyone, but it does make a tasty alternative.

Assemble the components as shown, and dig in. With this recipe out of the way, it makes me wonder what else I can get into with Chicken & Waffles. Next stop: FINE DINING!!!