Archives Under "bacon" (RSS)
Chicken & Broccoli Gratin, Bacon Fat Biscuits
9 November 2009 | bacon, eating, nomnomnomnom, recipe | 3 Responses
Just something I threw together for me and wifey on a Monday night. I’ve been cooking for her when I can, usually Mondays, and usually chicken. My lovely better half has a very refined palate; that is to say she won’t eat shit. So it’s normally chicken I cook, I’ve perfected my fabrication, brining and crispy skin. This Monday, however, I had breasts. In an attempt to church them up with limited resources, we’ve got this little dish here. I worked my way through a handful of recipes in J.O.C., and what I realized I wanted was a gratin. Saucy, cheesey crusty, etc. It’s was a rainy northwest winter day and after a haircut and a Fremer run I was drinking beers and cooking. My other big goals for the day involved blogging, flogging, and not jogging.
Bacon Fat Biscuits adapted from J.O.C recipe
1 3/4 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
5 bacon fat
1 tbslp butter
3/4 cup half & half
flour for dusting
1. Pre heat oven to 450. Sift the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. Measure and freeze the bacon fat and butter. Micro plane it into the dry ingredients.
3. Mix the dough with the paddle attachment on low speed just into a loose wad begins to form.
4. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a disk with floured hands.
5. Cut desired shapes and bake 12-15 minutes, again G.B.D.
Serve with:
Chicken & Broccoli Gratin
2 brined chicken breasts
2 cups blanched Broccoli
2 oz parmesan
2 oz cheddar grated
1 oz dolloped buitter
1 slice oven dried bread of your choice
1/2 cup candied walnuts
2 tblsp flour, plus more for dredging
1 cup chicken stock
1 tsp chicken demi
2 tsp sherry vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1. Brine the chicken breast and blanch the broccoli if you haven’t already. Drain and dry the chicken. Hold in the fridge with the blanched broccoli.
2. Pulverize the parm, bread, and walnuts in a food processor, reserve.
3. Dust the chicken with flour and sear it in a hot pan, finish in a 400 degree oven.
4. Remove the chicken from the pan and hold at room temp. Add the flour to the pan and it’s drippings, cook for two minutes. Add the stock stock and demi whisk smooth.
5. Cook the gravy for 5 minutes.
6. Slice the chicken and arrange it and the broccoli in the desired pan. Spoon on the gravy. Cover it with the crumbs, grated cheddar and dolloped butter
7. Bake for 10 minutes, then turn on the broiler. Broil until crust is G.B.D.
Simple Bacon Cornbread.
28 July 2009 | bacon, delicious, faithful readers, recipe | 6 Responses
This is based on a polenta cake recipe I found on the web somewhere. The oil from the original recipe is substituted with rendered bacon fat, then the bits are mixed into the batter and it’s baked. I like to buy the bacon scraps from the meat counter at New Seasons for this; it’s already cut up. I’ve been tweaking and working this recipe for a bit, it’s almost ready. Ready enough to share with my faithful readers. It still evolves, however. My friends ask me to make this for picnics and such, this one here was for an Independence Day party at my neighbor Damien’s house. I’m glad I made it that day; it caught the attention of someone who wanted the recipe for something awesome. As i started to put the recipe together; rendering the bacon and sifting the dry ingredients, I realized I wasn’t going to have enough fat. Fortunately, I had some pork belly scraps in the freezer, also a deli cup of the rendered fat. Hooray for melted pig flesh!
- Cut most the bacon into small dice. Leave some bigger chunks for chewy treats throughout.
- Render the bacon in your 10 inch cast iron skillet. I recently learned to put some water in the bottom of the pan and cover it, steaming the bacon some to get at that delicious fat. Remove the lid after about 8 minutes, and brown the bacon. If you use a 10 inch cast iron skillet like I do, bake the cornbread right in that pan without washing it.
- Weigh the dry ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, weigh the liquid ingredients and whisk to combine.
- Whisk the wet into the dry and mix to a smooth batter. Stir in the canned corn. Stir in the bacon.
- Bake in desired form at 325 until golden brown and springy, about 12-15 minutes
Tumultuous Times.
28 November 2007 | Roux, bacon, cook, faithful readers, fenouil, food | 1 Response
Well faithful readers, 
this week I gave my two weeks notice at Fenouil. That’s right, I’m resigning from my pastry cook position, as it seems best for all concerned. I’ve been waffling back and forth on this for weeks, but the factual truth is that I’m going nowhere at this job. It’s a great kitchen to work in, but ever since I broke my wrist and couldn’t work for 6 weeks, things have been going down hill. It’s mainly personal, but It seems to be the best course of action for everyone involved that I just call it. 86 Jeff. On to the next one. I’ve also decided to broaden my horizons a bit…I took a line cook job at Roux. I’ve realized that you don’t make enough scratch as a pastry cook, and most restaurants don’t need more than just the pastry chef. I’m not saying I’ve given up on pastry, I just wanna switch it up a bit. Besides, I love all food…and I can cook. I got a really cool vibe when I staged at Roux. The place has great heart, everyone seems like they want to be there. I worked part of a brunch shift this past Sunday, poaching eggs and such, and it seemed like a really cool kitchen. I think there will be opportunity to learn, and maybe help out the pastry chef with some prep as well. The main thing is that I can walk there in about 8 minutes, and they make all thier own bacon. I’m also seriously considering going back to school next summer and finishing my degree. Crazy times, man, crazy times.
The First Menu.
27 October 2007 | bacon, carlyle, custard, delicious, dessert, plated dessert | 2 Responses
The first night of the new dessert menu for Carlyle…well…it kicked ass. The Car Bomb was of course the big seller, closely followed by The Deep Fried Caramel Apple Bread Pudding. I was really happy with how the Cheesecake Three Ways went out, it was a study in cheesy custard. We only sold two Velvet Elvis, but it was so great to hear the chef call it out across the kitchen, and to see dessert go out with bacon on it. When the runner picked it up I called “Elvis has left the kitchen!” The Rosemary Pinenut Tartlette was the sleeper, but a guest told the owner it was “damn good.” I also put out a special order Apple Pie, for which we charged an exorbitant price. The menu was so well recieved by the staff and guests it almost made me forget about this.
Creative Presentation of the Week…Burger-Ka-Bob
17 October 2007 | bacon, creative presentation of the week, delicious, fenouil | 1 Response
My buddy Matt Peasner set me up with this burger because he thought I might eat it easier with my tender healing wrist. As soon as he brought it into the kitchen and gave it to me, three people (including two sous chefs) said “OOOOH I want one!!” Case and point…first thing you eat with is your eyes. Matt is a solid cook, who has also dabbled in pastry, and he never leaves the restaurant without making sure I’ve eaten. Rock on Peasner!!
Back to Work
24 September 2007 | bacon, fenouil, jeff | No Responses
So I’ll be heading back to work on Wednesday. I’m feeling about 87% arm/wrist efficiency, and 75% arm strength, but 110% readiness to get back to work. I’ll only be part time until mid-November, and will have to look for other ways to generate revenue. A second and third job will be in order to help me get back on my feet, and start saving for Kate and I’s trip Europe in April. I’m hoping to heal up enough for some mid or late season snowboarding as well.
Let’s Butter Poach!!
11 September 2007 | bacon, butter, delicious, fat, food porn, pictures | 2 Responses
Remember the clarified butter that Jaybill and I made to poach pork loin? Well, when we got some ultra-delicious looking lamb sausage from New Seasons, so did we. After poaching about twenty minutes in 140 degree butter these babies were bursting with buttery goodness. So we lightly browned them, then devoured them. This is the first time we made sausage that Jaybill was only able to eat one. I on the other hand, ate two, and then butter poached bacon the following morning. When I die way too young from massive heart failure, it will be with a big smile on my face.
Here’s The Pitch. It’s becoming an itch.
25 August 2007 | bacon, broken arm, food, photoshop | No Responses
Are you a chef or cook with exciting ideas about food? Have you ever wondered what it would take to set up a blog showcasing your beautifully delicious food? Could that blog be part of a community where other chefs like you can exchange ideas? Can you could send pictures, directly from your phone of specials or ideas to the web? Yes, you can. And we can help. Diana Cicco of Food Arts magazine writes that “A blog is a low cost way to build word of mouth and buzz about your restaurant or yourself.” A blog can also be a useful way of brainstorming with other chefs, and spreading knowledge and passion about food. We can bulid a website featuring a blog, recipes, pictures that you can easily update from phone, home, or restaurant. Imagine you were opening a new place, or developing an exciting new menu, you could get customers excited about the food before they even ate it. A simple text message could quickly post to your site, creating buzz on the web about all your culinary adventures. These blogs will all link together to form a community where users can access a wealth of information. Sound interesting? Right now we are searching for some talented people to make up our core users, chefs who are willing to publish rich content about food and kitchen life. Respond to this post, or email me at mrjeffmccarthy(at)yahoo(dot)com for more info.
The Cave
15 August 2007 | bacon, broken arm, jeff, news, pictures | No Responses
There’s nothing to do when you get hurt but crack a beer, take some drugs, go into the cave and pop in Goonies. The cave is where you pull the shades, shut the lights, turn off your phone. and stay there till the next day. You might also go to the cave with a really bad hangover. Its also where One Eyed Willy hangs out, in his boat, waiting for YOU to come and steal his treasure.
Food Porn
10 August 2007 | bacon, food, food porn, pictures, pig | No Responses
No, this isn’t about the thing with the butter and the guniea pig, so dont get excited. Sometimes when I look at food being prepared or served I think: That is Food Porn. Seeing a pig rotate slowly rotate over a hot fire, watching someone fold whip cream into eggs and choclolate, a case of red peppers cut up into a perfect julienne, are all great examples. This pig spun over hot coals for 27 hours. Then I ate an eyeball.
