Bacon & Beer Chocolate Truffles

Inspired by last weeks Oreos and wanting to play with beer and chocolate again, I decided to add one more ingredient to the party: Bacon. As a good Jewish girl, I don’t have all that much experience working with bacon, so thanks to my roommate I learned a few things, like don’t crowd the pan. Keep the heat low so it can cook evenly and have some patience. Otherwise, this recipe is quite easy. And it’s even more fun working with beer, chocolate and bacon when the football game is on in the background. Not that I know too much about it, but The Giants won. And there’s going to be a lot of hoopla over a NYC team playing in the Superbowl. These treats might be a fun one to bring to the party!

Ingredients

• 9 Ounces of Dark Chocolate
• 1/2 Cup of heavy Cream
• 3 Tablespoons of Dark Beer (I used Brooklyn Brewery Dark Chocolate Stout)
• 1/2 pound of bacon, crisp and smashed to bits
• 1/2 cup of Unsweetened Dutch Cocoa Powder

 Instructions

1. Cook the bacon in large frying pan until its quite crispy. Drain, place in a plastic bag and smash to bits
2. Place cream and chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water
3. Stir until incorporated and remove from heat
4. Stir in beer until fully incorporated
5. Stir in Bacon until fully incorporated
6. Pour into a ceramic or glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap to protect from moisture and let it set for 3 hours
7. Pour cocoa powder in to a bowl
8. Use your hands to roll the chocolate into small truffle sized balls
9. Cover with cocoa powder, tap off excess and transfer into another bowl for serving

photos and styling by Amy Wilkinson

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Bacon, Caramelized Onion, Blue Cheese & Lavender Tart

My friends had a birthday party/ dinner party last week. In fact, these two twin brothers throw a pretty notorious dinner party usually one a month or so. I love baking for them and one of the twins confessed to preferring savory over sweet, which forces me to flex new muscles. And this particular savory tart stuck with him after he tasted it in January. I figured I should just make it again. I mean, it was his birthday, right?

Ingredients:

Crust

• *1 1/4 Cup Flour
• *1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Corn Starch
• *1/4 teaspoon Salt
• *6 tablespoons Butter Diced

Filling

• *2 large eggs
• *1/2 cup whole milk or cream
• *2 cups Caramelized Onions (see related recipe)
• *4 ounces bacon, diced, cooked and drained
• *2 teaspoons food-grade dried lavender
• *6 ounces blue cheese, such as gorgonzola, crumbled

Instructions:

Crust

1. 1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch and one-fourth teaspoon salt.
2. 2. Cut the butter until it is in very tiny bits.
3. 3. Add one egg and mix with a fork until a dough forms. (I usually use my hands until the dough forms.
4. 4. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch circle.
5. 5. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan and press to remove any air bubbles. Crimp the edges
6. 6. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. No parbaking required.

Filling

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
2. 2. Caramelize onion by placing in a frying pan with a little olive oil and stirring until they are lightly browned. I like to then add in some balsamic vinegar and stir until it cooks off. Adds in some interesting flavors.
3. 3. Chop and cook the bacon. I like it crispy.
4. 4. Whisk together the eggs and milk or cream in a medium bowl.
5. 5. Add the onions and bacon, whisk to combine and pour the mixture into the baked pie crust. Sprinkle with the lavender and crumbled blue cheese.
6. 6. Place the pie in the oven on the lower rack. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until almost set but still slightly soft in the middle.
7. 7. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.