Special to AOL Food by Joanna Pruess
People have always loved bacon. Its smell carries us back to comforting times. For me, I'm a child again in a warm kitchen laughing with my siblings and my mother, who served a pound-and-a-half of it every morning for breakfast. Always very crisp, always thinly sliced.
Whether it's eggs or maple syrup-drenched waffles with crispy slices of bacon to begin the day, a grilled cheese and bacon sandwich or juicy bacon cheeseburger deluxe for lunch, or a hearty stew perfumed with cubes of bacon or fish simply wrapped in it and grilled, the juxtaposition of salty, sweet, smoky and ever-so-slightly bitter tastes tantalize our taste buds.
Its aroma is powerful enough to lure me out of bed in the morning or draw me into eateries both humble or haute. The moment I hear that sizzle in the pan or even read about bacon on a menu, my senses are aroused. There is also that enticing play of the firmer, meatier streaks against the softer, juicer parts in each strip. The effects linger long after the last slice is eaten. And I'm not alone.
Virtually no other food in the American diet is so beloved and occupies as unique a position as bacon. Its salty-smoky flavor, often perfumed with molasses or brown sugar is essential to numerous regional dishes, from Southern grits and greens to Boston's clam chowder and baked beans. And the famous Cobb salad, created at the Brown Derby in Hollywood, Calif.? It just wouldn't be the same without bacon.
Bacon is far more than a food. It is a happy state of mind. It excites people to the point where some aficionados liken it to illicit pleasures. Can it be religion? Devoted subscribers to the Bacon of the Month Club might say "yes." Even vegetarians and people who don't eat bacon for religious regions think lusty thoughts about it. Ounce for ounce, slice per slice, no other quintessential American ingredient has the seductive powers of bacon.
Joanna Pruess is the author of 'Seduced by Bacon' and 11 other cookbooks. She lives with her husband Bob, who is also a bacon aficionado and restaurant critic, and their three children in Cleveland, Ohio.
Pecan-Brown Sugar & Bacon Ice Cream (from 'Seduced by Bacon')
Ingredients
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
4 egg yolks
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pound bacon, cooked until very crisp, blotted on paper towels and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Cooking Instructions
Combine the cream, milk and sugar in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until hot and sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot cream-milk mixture. Return the yolk mixture to the saucepan, beating constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously, until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6-8 minutes. Do not let it boil. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and let it cool completely. Stir in pecans and bacon and freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions. To showcase the ice cream's flavor, before serving, remove from freezer and let it soften slightly.
More Bacon Recipes:
Fried Corn With Bacon
Bacon-Wrapped Barbeque Shrimp
Black Beans With Bacon
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT BACON? GIVE US YOUR COMMENTS!
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
5-06-2007 @ 3:48AM
patti said...
crispy bacon- not limp and half done- I hate "wobble-meat"... ew just ew.
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5-07-2007 @ 9:16AM
halvasnack said...
Bacon is a food gift of the greatest proportion. It provides the Sunshine to our Sunny Side Eggs, so we can dip the crisp salty meat into the yolks. It is the star of the BLT, which when made properly could be the best sandwich idea ever. And does any chowder, stew or soup taste right if the veggies aren't sauteed first in rendered bacon fat?
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5-14-2007 @ 4:52PM
Kat K. said...
I was lucky enough to receive this book for Christmas, and made the bacon ice cream for New Year's Eve (with a slight tweak - I soaked the pecans in bourbon and toasted them). It was decadent and gorgeous and everyone I fed it to just 'bout fell to their knees. SO worth the time/effort.
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5-20-2007 @ 9:19AM
JoJo said...
Hotel Brand bacon is the best moderately priced bacon I have ever found. How can something so good be so bad for us???
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6-03-2007 @ 6:50PM
Kim said...
mmmmm.....bacon....
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6-17-2007 @ 6:27AM
Duane said...
Back in the seventies I tried being a vegitarian. Lasted one year and the smell of bacon frying was my undoing. Had to have some. Yummy
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6-17-2007 @ 6:58AM
Lance said...
Bacon...so bad for your body..... so good for your soul.
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6-17-2007 @ 7:19AM
Kerri said...
I have the best bacon tip ever!!! While frying sprinkle a few teaspoons of flour on each side. Bacon not only does not shrink, it's also not greasy and tastes 100% better! Try it!
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6-17-2007 @ 7:26AM
Bobbi said...
When I was a child my next door neighbor introduced me to deep fried bacon. First she dredged it in seasoned flour(garlic,onion powder etc) then she fried it crisp.Oh my for a bacon lover such as I it was an invitation to breakfast heaven.I dont do it often as its an artery clogger for sure, but once in a while YUMMY what a treat
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6-17-2007 @ 7:27AM
lisa said...
I remember the smell of bacon as a kid, and love it today.
my family thinks of pork as it's own food group, you know the pork group the beef group the sugar group, the bread and butter group.
but i do have a recipe for you,
bacon eggs and grits, seems it is a souther thing.
over easy eggs
thick grits
and crispy bacon all messed up in a bowl and eaten with a spoon.
season to taste with salt and pepper.
grew up with it and got my northern husband and son to eat it this way.
when i first did it hubby thought I was nuts, but 20+ years later he eats it that way every sunday.
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6-17-2007 @ 7:28AM
josephine kato said...
mmmmmm bacon it has been around a long time and is still good
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6-17-2007 @ 7:37AM
Debbie said...
I love bacon but I don't eat it anymore because it is bad for your health and I am on a fruit and veggie diet. with fish and chicken and red meat maybe once a week.
BUT in the summer when the tomatoes come out. I can not give up my BLT's and I pull out the bacon.
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6-17-2007 @ 7:57AM
Arnold Nelson said...
Thick sliced, peper cured bacon, dredged in flour and fried slow. NOW it's decadant!
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6-17-2007 @ 8:04AM
wallace shaw said...
And God said: Let there be LOVE, and there was BACON.............and eggs.
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6-17-2007 @ 8:19AM
diamond said...
I am a devout vegetarian , and the only thing i miss in my menu is a good homemade BLT!!! The very last meat i gave up was bacon, about two years ago. (i have to admit, sometimes the thought of an Arby's Roast Beast sandwich is appealing ,too....)
However, i don't even like the smell of bacon anymore, and the thought of eating it for real causes me pain. BUT, I salute all you BACON-LOVERS!! These recipes sound good!
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6-17-2007 @ 8:28AM
Ray J said...
You want sexy? Hog Belly all night long, baby!
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6-17-2007 @ 8:53AM
mich said...
I'm sure the road to Hell is probably paved with bacon... but once you try Emeril's Spicy Candied Bacon (bacon dredged in brown sugar and hot red pepper) you'll be looking to make a deal with old Lucifer yourself. Served it at a brunch once and wowed everybody there.
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6-17-2007 @ 9:03AM
Kaminekp said...
Oh my....Bacon....NowI HAVE to go out and buy some of the killer meat!
Love it. I don't eat bacon every day, but I love it when it's fried to crispy perfection! I don't trust anyone else to cook it for me, it's a (rubbery uncooked pork-y parasite" thing). I smiled when I read your post, Lisa. I am southern too, and I also ate my grits/eggs/bacon/butter/salt/pepper all mixed in one bowl too! There is NO substitute for hickory smoked, brown sugar cured, crispy delicious bacon!
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6-17-2007 @ 9:09AM
John said...
Peanut butter and bacon sandwich on white bread.
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6-17-2007 @ 9:14AM
Marveta Brindle said...
We love bacon, well done (not burnt) & crispy with eggs & toast. Also we like it with french toast or pancakes made with Bisquick. We like to add it to what would be a BLT, which then makes it a BELT. We eat it in baked beans, casserole dishes. I even put it on top of a meatloaf prior to putting the meatloaf in the oven. It is good with onions on wilted lettuce or in any salad. Banana slices & bacon slices on peanut butter & honey sandwich are good. You should try it. When I was a kid, I had so many brothers & sisters that my Mom would cut the bacon up in pcs. & declare how many pcs. each child could have. Otherwise, my brothers would take more than their share. So Mom's way was less hassle. Anyway, now that I am an adult, the bacon pcs. are longer & it's just a matter of how many are cooked. I still tell my husband, kids &/or grandkids, you can have so many pcs. to make sure there is enough to go around. What I can't understand is people who do not like bacon. They sure don't know what they are missing!
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