Whiskey Bacon Cheese Sauce Food

WHISKEY-BACON-CHEDDAR CHEESE BALL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F
• Arrange bacon on a slotted pan or wire rack-lined baking sheet and bake to crisp
• Cool to room temperature then finely chop
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine softened cream cheese, cubed Cheddar, shallot and garlic, and process until fairly smooth
• Transfer mixture into mixing bowl
• Using a rubber spatula, stir in shredded cheese, whisky, bitters, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper and about two-thirds of the bacon bits
• Reserve the rest of the bacon for topping
• Lay a good amount of plastic wrap on a flat surface and transfer cheese mixture to the plastic
• Twist up the four corners of the plastic and tighten to form a ball shape
• Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight
• In a shallow dish, combine chopped smoked almonds, reserved bacon bits and fresh chives and parsley
• Roll the cheese ball in the mixture until the ball is completely and evenly coated
• Serve with your favorite crackers, pretzel rods or veggie planks such as carrots, parsnips, red peppers and/or celery

OVEN BAKED CANDIED WHISKEY BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350F
• Mix together your whiskey with 1 cup brown sugar and cayenne pepper in a small saucepan over medium/high heat. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Place each strip of bacon directly on a baking sheet, allowing a bit of space between strips. Brush the bacon with the whiskey reduction and then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar.
• Place bacon in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, checking after 12 minutes. Ovens vary, so you want to make sure they don't burn. Mine took the full 20 minutes.
• Take bacon out of the oven and allow to sit on a paper towel to cool/drain.
• Serve and enjoy!

GENTLEMAN'S WHISKEY BACON JAM

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings. Add shallots and onion to the drippings; cook over medium heat until caramelized, stirring occasionally., Stir in garlic; cook 30 seconds. Add seasonings. Remove from heat; stir in whiskey and maple syrup. Increase heat to high; bring to a boil and cook 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add vinegar and brown sugar; cook another 3 minutes, continuing to stir constantly., Add crumbled bacon; reduce heat to low and cook 12 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Allow jam to cool slightly. Pulse half the jam in a food processor until smooth; stir puree into remaining jam. Serve with assorted crackers.

WHISKY CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the butter and oil in a small pan over a medium heat until the butter starts to foam. Fry the shallot until soft but not golden, about 8 mins.
• Add the bay leaf and garlic, then cook for 1 min more. Add 100ml whisky and simmer until absorbed by the shallots, and almost evaporated.
• Pour in the stock and simmer for 5-10 mins until reduced by half. Stir in the cream and simmer for another 5 mins until thickened slightly. Season with salt and taste the sauce. Stir in the remaining whisky for a stronger flavour. Serve with haggis, steak or mashed potatoes.

WHISKEY MACARONI AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook pasta in boiling water about 7 minutes; set aside. Do not overcook, and do not rinse.
• While it's cooking, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until it is crisp. Remove from pan. Pour out all but two tablespoons of the drippings (leave the two tablespoons in the pan). Wipe outer side of pan if grease is on it from pouring off the rest of the grease. Crumble bacon and set aside.
• While bacon cooks: (1) shred cheeses and (2) in a large measuring cup, combine chicken broth, whiskey, spices and Worcestershire sauce.
• In skillet with bacon fat, add the butter and melt it. Add flour; whisk to combine. Add chicken broth mixture; whisk. Let bubble for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring occasionally to pick up fond on the bottom of the pan. Add milk; combine. Let come to a bubble or at least get very hot and add cheeses. Stir until it's melted and smooth. All of this stuff can burn easily; watch it.
• Add pasta and bacon to sauce; stir. Cook pasta in sauce for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. It's done when the sauce is thickened.