Tag: bacon jam

Recipe: Bacon Fennel Jam

Posted on by Sharman

Earlier this month I attended the 7th annual Pig & Pinot –  a fundraiser for Calgary Meals on Wheels held at Hotel Arts. The event featured a number of local chefs and restaurants competing for the coveted Divine Swine trophy sponsored by Alberta Pork. The challenge to chefs: perfectly pair a pinot with a unique and creative dish utilizing free-range pork from Spragg’s Meat Shop.

Since I adore a good surf & turf dish, I made a few repeat visits to the Tango Bistro station where fresh oysters were served on the half shell with bacon fennel jam.

Tango Bistro‘s head chef Trevor Hopper graciously agreed to share his recipe for bacon fennel jam. This recipe makes three cups which can be stored in the fridge for up to a month (although I doubt you could make it last that long). For those who don’t love oysters, bacon jam is great condiment to keep on hand and is great on burgers, with cheese, fresh bread or just on toast.

Bacon Fennel Jam
Recipe courtesy of Chef Trevor Hopper, Tango Bistro

What you’ll need…

1 lb bacon cut into lardons or small diced
1 small yellow onion julienne against the grain
1 large bulb fennel cored and julienned
½ oz minced garlic
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp chili flakes
1 lb peeled apples (fresh or frozen) rough chopped
3 sprigs thyme tied in a bundle
2/3 cup chicken stock
3 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp grainy mustard
3 tbsp sherry vinegar ( or cider vinegar)
1/3 cup Brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In large heavy bottom pot, brown bacon and remove excess fat. Add onions and fennel and saute until starting to brown, add garlic, fennel seeds and chili flakes cook for three minutes.

2. Add remaining ingredients, turn to low heat and let reduce until all items are tender and broken down approximately two hours.

3. Transfer to jars and keep in fridge up to 4 weeks.

To assemble the oysters with bacon jam, take your favourite oyster and shuck it on the half shell, and detaching the oyster from the shell.  Keep the oysters on a bed of ice or salt so they do not tip over, using about 1 tsp of jam per oyster and garnished with chopped chives. 

Recipe: Black Pepper and Sweet Onion Bacon Jam

Posted on by Dan Clapson

Bacon jam recipe

Ah, bacon jam. Is there anything you can’t do with it? Perfect slathered on bread slices before making a grilled cheese, lovely dolloped onto a cheese plate for your Saturday night dinner party, simply by the spoonful straight to your mouth…Everything in moderation though, my friends!

Anyway, this simple recipe for bacon jam is one that every home cook should have in their arsenal. The trick to find perfection here is giving those onions enough time to beautifully caramelize. Try it out for yourself this week!

What you’ll need…

1 tablespoon canola oil

8 slices double-smoked bacon (thinly sliced

2 medium sweet onions (halved and thinly sliced)

1/2 cup good quality orange juice

3 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

Directions:

Heat canola oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add sliced bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and edges begin to crisp slightly, approximately 6-8 minutes.

Transfer from pan to paper towel to absorb excess grease and reduce to medium heat. Add onion to pan and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once onions begin to brown, intermittently add splashes of orange juice to help deglaze the pan. Continue to do this until all juice has been used and the onions are a nice golden colour, about 10 minutes or so.

Add honey to the pan, stir to combine and let cook for another 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and let cool slightly.

Transfer contents of pan to a food processor and pulse until a chunky paste forms.

Spoon bacon jam into a bowl or container and stir in the coarse black pepper.

Cover and keep in refrigerator to use are desired.

Will keep for up to a week.

Yields 1 1/2 cups bacon jam

Total cook time…40 minutes

Recipe: Chili Bacon and Apple Jam

Posted on by Dan Clapson

apple bacon jam recipe

If you say the words, “bacon jam” (or as bacon fanatics like to call it, “BACON JAM!”) people’s ears usually perk up. This sweet, salty condiment is really easy to make at home. The apple and mustard in this recipe add nice texture and contrast to the richness of the cooked bacon. For the bacon in this recipe, I used this delicious, thick cut Hutterite bacon that you can find at Calgary Co-op. It’s made just outside of Claresholm, Alberta so nice and local. Gotta love it!

Serve it on a charcuterie platter at your next party or use it the way I love to, Slathered on white bread when you’re making a grilled cheese sandwiches.

I know, right? You’re welcome!

What you’ll need…

8 strips thick cut bacon (diced)

1 yellow onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 gala apple (cored and diced)

1/4 cup water

3 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons grainy dijon mustard

2 teaspoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

salt (to taste)

Directions:

Heat up a large pan on medium-high heat. Once hot, add diced bacon and cook for 5 minutes.

Next, add onion and garlic and cook until softened, about another 5 minutes.

Add apple to the pan and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring regularly. If bacon fat has been completely absorbed by components add a splash or two of water to the pan to stop over caramelization.

Transfer contents of pan to a blender or food processor along with remaining ingredients and puree several times until mixture is a slightly chunky paste.

Return to pan and continue to cook on medium-high heat, stirring regularly, until mixture thickens noticeably, about 8-10 minutes.

Remove from heat and once room temperature, transfer to container, cover and keep in the refrigerator until ready to use. Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Yields 1 1/2 cups bacon jam

Total cook time…

Recipe: Chef Larry Stewart’s Figgy Piggy

Posted on by Sharman

IMG_4665

When I chatted with Chef Larry Stewart at Hardware Grill he told me they kept their June is Pork month feature fairly simple.

The ‘Figgy Piggy’ features a thick cut roasted pork chop stuffed with roasted shallots and figs. The chop is plated on a two-potato hash with ham hock, Brussels sprouts and mushrooms, and then finished with a slathering of bacon jam, a piece of tempura bacon, and then topped with a fig port sauce.

Sounds simple enough, but if the recipe Chef Stewart shared with Alberta Pork sounds too challenging, all this month you can savour the Figgy Piggy in the house that created it.

Hardware Grill is one of Edmonton’s longest running fine-dining restaurants. They’ve been smoking their bacon in house for the last 19 years, and Chef Stewart believes they were one of the first to put pork belly on a menu in Edmonton.

Over the years, Chef Stewart has seen how acceptance for different pork cuts has changed. Pork, and not just bacon, has experienced an increase in popularity in the last few years, and the kitchen is always looking for innovative ways to incorporate different cuts in their dishes.

Perhaps that is why the June is Pork month feature at Hardware Grill features not one but four different pork components in one dish. Visit Hardware Grill this month to try out Chef Larry Stewart’s ‘Figgy Piggy’.

Figgy PiggyIMG_4632
Recipe courtesy of Chef Larry Stewart, Hardware Grill

4 Alberta pork loin chops (Bone on- roughly 8 oz. each)
4 strips THICK cut bacon

FIG/BALSAMIC SAUCE

375 ml red wine
4 oz chopped dry figs
2 oz balsamic vinegar
1 cup demi glace

Combine red wine, figs and balsamic in a small pot – reduce by half. Add demiglace, return to a simmer, blend with hand mixer & strain.

PORK MARINADE

16 oz maple syrup
16 oz apple cider vinegar
4 oz soya
16 oz vegetable oil
4 Tbsp Dijon

FIG & SHALLOT STUFFING

8 oz shallots, julienne
2 Tbsp butter
4 oz figs, dried
1 oz Armagnac (French brandy)
1 ½ Tbsp chopped thyme

Sauté shallots in butter until golden but not overcooked. Deglaze pan with Armagnac, add figs and thyme. Mix and cool immediately.

TEMPURA BATTER 3⁄4 cup beer (not a dark beer!)

3⁄4 cup rice flour
3⁄4 tsp salt
1⁄4-1⁄2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 tsp garlic powder (optional or to taste)
vegetable oil (for deep frying) seasoning salt

Place pork (delete Alberta) in marinade for 8 hours then discard marinade. Using a small, sharp knife, make an incision in middle of side of pork chop and slice a cavity. Stuff with fig & shallot stuffing (be generous), poke with finger to distribute. Cook bacon in oven to 90% crisp, cool. Dip bacon into tempura batter and deep fry for 90 sec – 2 minutes. If it seems thin, batter again, deep fry and then keep warm. When ready, grill or roast pork chops(delete Alberta) (350F) to medium. Serve with fig-balsamic sauce and top with bacon.

Best served with roasted potatoes or a sauté potato hash. Serves 4.