Edible Vancouver Winter 2011 : Page 43
BACON JAM e FROM DEBBRA MIKAELSEN Thanks to Bambi and Sienna Edlund for introducing us to bacon jam and pointing us to a recipe on the blog Not Quite Nigella. We did a little tinkering to come up with this version; it’s lovely on sliced baguette with a bit of arugula, ultra-decadent on a burger, and kind of heavenly dotted on pizza. Makes 4 or 5 x 125mL jars 1 lb (500g) smoked or double-smoked bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 cup (250mL) finely chopped onions ¼ cup (60mL) finely chopped shallots 6 cloves garlic, minced 2 Tbsp (30mL) brown sugar 1 cup (250mL) strong coffee 1⁄3 cup (75mL) maple syrup a bit of black pepper, freshly ground 1 cup (250mL) water In a medium-sized heavy pot, cook bacon over medium-high for about five minutes. Add onions, shallots, and garlic, stirring, and cook until bacon gets crisp. Add remaining ingredients, except the water, and stir well. Simmer, uncovered, over low heat for about 2 to 2 ½ hours. After 30 minutes of cooking, add ¼ cup (60mL) water and stir. Repeat every half hour until you’ve used up the whole cup of water. Mixture should look dark, thick, and kind of jammy, and smell like the best breakfast in the world. Let cool, and then, in a food processor, purée to a reasonably smooth consistency. Put into jars and keep refrigerated. GIFTS TO BUY e FOR THE PERSON WHO GROWS YOUR FOOD: Say “I love you” with these ergonomically designed, hand-friendly garden tools—or contoured knee pads, soothing hand salves, copper trellises (that last one is tricky to wrap, though). Lee Valley has an extensive selection of intelligent gear for gardeners, and a few intriguing kitchen gadgets as well. The shop is in South Vancouver, but if you don’t need the stuff in a hurry, or the weather’s bad, why not sit back with a cup of tea (or a rum and eggnog), and order online? leevalley.com FOR THE BACON-LOVER: If you’d rather not go to the trouble of making your own bacon jam, cheat and buy the Skillet Street Food’s version from Well Seasoned in Langley. This shop is a kind of temple to all things bacon; owner Angie Quaale makes bacon chocolate chip cookies (using local bacon from Gelderman Farms ) and keeps them in the freezer; pop a batch in the oven on Christmas Eve in anticipation of that generous old fellow in the red suit. The store also has pancake mix with bacon bits, bacon chocolate bars, and bacon caramel. In 2012, the store will be hosting an everything-bacon class taught by Karen Barnaby of The Fish House . #302c–20771 Langley By-Pass. wellseasoned.ca WWW.EDIBLEVANCOUVER.COM | 43
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