Pecan Candied Bacon Bites Food

BROWN SUGAR-SRIRACHA BACON BITES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Stir together the sriracha and brown sugar in a medium bowl; add the bacon pieces and toss to coat. Set aside.
• Line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; place a wire rack over the foil. Spray the rack liberally with cooking spray. Place the bacon pieces in a single layer on the rack.
• Bake until the bacon is almost crisp, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle the bacon with the toasted and black sesame seeds and bake an additional 5 minutes. Cool for 5 to 8 minutes, moving the bacon pieces slightly on the rack every 2 minutes to prevent sticking. (The bacon will crisp more as it cools.)

CANDIED BACON BITES

Steps:

• Put the bacon in a container so it lays flat. Pour over the cola to cover. Refrigerate and let soak 2 to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, place a cooling rack over top and spray with cooking spray.
• Drain the bacon from the cola, place on the cooling rack and pat dry. Combine the brown sugar, paprika and black pepper in a bowl and toss to combine and loosen up the brown sugar. Sprinkle the brown sugar mixture on both sides of the bacon, pressing and patting so it adheres. Place the slices on the cooling rack; they can be close to one another but shouldn't touch.
• Bake until the bacon is deeply caramelized but still pliable (it will crisp as it cools), about 20 minutes. Flip the bacon occasionally as it cools to crisp on both sides. Let cool completely.

BACON AND PECAN BROWNIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9- by 9-inch pan with butter.
• Whisk together the sugar and eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the butter, cocoa and vanilla. Stir in the flour and salt. Add the chopped semisweet and bittersweet chocolates, bacon and pecans and stir to combine.
• Spread the batter into the pan.
• Bake until the brownies are moist but not wet, testing with a toothpick, 25 to 30 minutes. They will be very fudgy. Scoop and serve warm or cool completely before cutting.

CANDIED BACON AND PECAN MERINGUE TART WITH COFFEE FROZEN CUSTARD

Steps:

• For the coffee frozen custard: Roughly chop the coffee beans and add to a pot, along with the milk. Heat until steaming.
• Whisk the egg yolks, whole egg and sugar until lightened, about 30 seconds. Temper the eggs by slowly whisking in some of the hot milk. Add back to the saucepan and heat to 170 degrees F on a thermometer, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream, vanilla and espresso powder. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, then cool in an ice bath.
• Transfer the frozen custard base to an ice cream maker, churn according to manufacturer's instructions and then freeze until firm.
• For the pate brisee: Combine the pastry flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the butter and pulse until blended and the mixture looks like sand. Drizzle in the eggs, 4 teaspoons water, and vanilla; process just until a dough comes together.
• Transfer the dough to the counter and shape into two 1-inch-thick disks. Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.
• For the filling: Cook the bacon until crispy, though not burned. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat, leaving the remaining fat in the pan.
• Roughly chop the pecans and add them to the bacon skillet, along with the brown sugar and a pinch of salt. Cook over high heat until the sugar melts. Reserve in a bowl.
• Cream together butter, reserved bacon fat, white sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix in the vanilla and orange zest.
• Add the eggs in 3 additions, scraping the bowl in between. Blend well.
• Add the light corn syrup and dark corn syrup; blend until smooth. Reserve.
• Par-bake the tart shell: Roll out lemon-size pieces of pate brisee to a 1/4-inch thickness. Place over nine 4-inch tart pans and gently press in.
• Roll the pin over the tart pans to cut away excess dough, then prick the dough with a fork. Place the tart pans on a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the foil over each tart and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Pre-bake for about 15 minutes, or until the tart shells are lightly browned. Remove the pie weights and foil. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.
• Finish the tart: Place enough pecans in each tart shell to fill them level, then crumble over some bacon. Pour the filling into the tart shells, filling up to the edge.
• Bake the tarts for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake for another 20 minutes. Let cool.
• For the meringue: With an electric mixer, whip the egg whites until foamy. Slowly add the sugar and then the vanilla; whip to a medium peaks. Transfer to a pastry bag.
• Pipe a rosette of meringue onto each tart, then toast with a kitchen torch.
• Serve the tarts with a scoop of the coffee frozen custard.

CARAMELIZED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil (for easy cleaning) and place a wire baking rack on top.
• Combine the brown sugar and pecans in a food processor and process until the pecans are finely ground. Add the salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper and pulse to combine. Add the maple syrup and pulse again to moisten the crumbs.
• Cut each bacon slice in half crosswise and line up the pieces on the baking rack without touching. With a small spoon, evenly spread the pecan mixture on top of each piece of bacon, using all of the mixture. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is very browned but not burnt. If it's underbaked, the bacon won't crisp as it cools.
• While it's hot, transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside to cool. Serve at room temperature. (The caramelized bacon can be made early in the day and stored at room temperature.)