bacon & fig dip

mmmm… bacon… 

here’s another recipe in ode to bacon. this gluten-free, creamy dip is surprisingly easy to prepare and makes for a great appetizer for your next dinner party, gameday or — you guessed it — baconpalooza!

the bacon:
– heat up 1-2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil in large saucepan on medium heat
– add 5-6 strips of country-style bacon to pan
– fry bacon in pan for a few min until slightly crispy on both sides
– remove from heat & set aside bacon on plate to cool
– pat bacon w/ papertowels to remove excess fat & oil
– reserve bacon fat in pan to add to dip mixture

the dip:
in a small mixing bowl, mix & fold together the following ingredients together until well-combined:
– 1/4 cup low-fat, plain greek yogurt
– 100g chevre frais
– crispy-fried bacon (rough chop into bacon bits)
– 5-6 small dried figs (rough chop into small pieces)
– season w/ ground black peppercorns
– drizzle bacon fat leftover from pan

food styling:
– serve immediately, best served warm
– pairs well w/ gluten-free chips or your fave crackers
– store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge

cinnamon bacon chevre french toast

so i’m on a bit of a bacon kick these days… thanks to the noble efforts and enthusiasm of my good friend krysta who hosted baconpalooza this weekend! what’s baconpalooza, you ask? well, it was a fabulous soiree celebrating all things bacon… candied bacon, chocolate-covered bacon, stuffed bacon jalapenos, bacon & fig dip, bacon crackers, bacon caesars — everything bacon!

this morning, i figured i’d keep the bacon frenzy alive… and infuse a little bacon into one of my fave brunch standards — french toast! mmmm… bacon…

the bacon:
– heat up 2-3 tbsp water in large saucepan on medium heat
– add 4 strips of country-style bacon to pan
– lightly sprinkle 1 tsp ground cinnamon over bacon
– fry bacon in pan for a few min until slightly crispy on both sides (optional: sprinkle a bit more cinnamon after flipping the bacon.)
– remove from heat & set aside bacon on plate to cool
– pat bacon w/ papertowels to remove excess fat & oil
– reserve bacon fat in pan for cooking the egg-soaked bread (optional) 

i like to use wholewheat sourdough when i make french toast. the taste & texture of sourdough is perfect for this dish — soaking up the egg and complementing the flavourful toppings. my fave bread is the locally-made, artisan sourdough from sidewalk citizen bakery. (if you are in the calgary area, aviv’s artisan bread is a must-try!)

prep the toast:
– whisk 1 large egg & 1 tsp ground cinnamon in medium prep bowl
– soak 2 thick slices of artisan sourdough bread (on both sides, until egg mixture is absorbed into bread)

– melt 2 tsp of unsalted butter in large saucepan

(tip: no need to add butter to the pan, if you still have the leftover bacon fat in the pan.)

apricot & chicken apple sausage pizza

for the record, the pink peppercorns on this pizza were inspired by don cherry’s pink floral blazer à la stanley cup final. :) 

yes, i’m canadian. and yes, i love the good ol’ hockey game. and what better way to (peacefully) celebrate tonight’s stanley cup final than with some homemade pizza and some local beer. although the canucks didn’t bring home the cup tonight, it’s still a fun annual tradition to watch a bunch of happy, grizzly-bearded dudes on skates hollering and hoisting the stanley cup in victory on the ice. well done, boys.

ok, back to the pizza… :)

some fresh pizza dough from itza bakeshop made for a fantastic base in tonight’s culinary experiment. add some organic chicken apple sausage, fruits & veggies from the local farmers’ market and you’ve got a pretty fantastic powerplay of a meal. um, ok, that was a little cheesy. pun intended. ;)

prep the sausage:
– heat up 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil (evoo) in large saucepan on high heat
– add 1 clove garlic (peeled, diced) and sauté til slightly browned
– add organic chicken apple sausage (4-5 links, sliced rounds) to pan
– season w/ ground black peppercorns & dash of sea salt
– drizzle 3 tbsp of lager beer over sausage (i used some local honey wheat ale)
– sauté chicken sausage w/ garlic for 8-10min, or until cooked through
– remove from heat & set aside