Top 10 Bacon-Themed Recipes of 2008

1. Slow-cooked Bacon – that’s it, just bacon.  The reason plain old bacon makes it to the top 10 is the “slow-cooked” part.  This year I discovered a new cooking technique that changed everything.  Cooking bacon on, say, medium-low for longer results in a better finished product.  Try it and see the difference!

2. Chicken with Rosemary, Bacon and Balsamic – The recipe calls for pancetta, but I use bacon…sweet savory bacon.  The bacon laid across the chicken keeps it moist while baking.  Towards the end when you are reducing the pan drippings, I like to finish cooking the bacon separately, then dice it up and sauté with some fresh green beans. epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-with-Rosemary-Pancetta-and-Balsamic-Vinegar-4296

3. Bacon-Wrapped Dates – So simple, yet so tasty.  Technically you’d want to wrap dates in Prosciutto, but it costs more and we’re in a recession.  So wrap some dates with bacon, stuff some manchego cheese in the date, then bake it until that sweet, savory bacon is crisp.

4. Roasted Beef Tenderloin Wrapped in Bacon – Do I need to say anything about this?  I think it speaks for itself, and it’s perfect for a nice bottle of your favorite red wine. epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roasted-Beef-Tenderloin-Wrapped-in-Bacon-107705

5. Curly Endive and Apple Smoked Bacon Salad – If you’re like me, you’re trying to lose some holiday pounds, so eat a salad.  A salad with bacon in it.  epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Curly-Endive-and-Apple-Smoked-Bacon-Salad-105099

6. Grill-Roasted Whole Fish Stuff with Fresh Herbs and Wrapped in Bacon – I have to admit, I haven’t made this recipe yet so it doesn’t have the Bakas Stamp of Approval.  But we wanted to have a fish recipe on the list making good use of slow-cooked, crispy, savory bacon. epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grill-Roasted-Whole-Fish-Stuffed-with-Fresh-Herbs-and-Wrapped-in-Pancetta

7. Penne Pasta with Spinach and Bacon – One of those simple, yet tasty recipes perfect for after work when you don’t have the time to make a sick meal.  allrecipes.com/Recipe/Penne-Pasta-with-Spinach-and-Bacon/Detail.aspx

8. Bacon and Potato Soup – We’re deep in the heart of winter.  What could be better to warm your spirits than a hearty soup made with my favorite friend: savory, yummy bacon.  allrecipes.com/Recipe/Bacon-and-Potato-Soup/Detail.aspx

9. Bacon-Wrapped Scallops – Emeril is to bacon what Gary Vaynerchuk is to wine 2.0.  In other words, he makes good use of it. planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/emeril-bacon-wrapped-scallops.html

10. Bacon Brownies – Oh God! I think I’ve found the meaning of it all.  Are you kidding me?  Brownies with frickin bacon in them!! thehungryengineer.com/cooking/bacon-brownies/

Filed under: Uncategorized , bacon bacon bacon top recipes bacon rosemary chicken beef baconsalt bacon bronwnies wine pairing

The Bakas Wine of the Year

It’s pretty difficult to pick just one wine above all others in 2008. There are so many good wines being made from so many good wine regions, not to mention wines from past vintages. Should it be a wine released this year, or a wine consumed this year?
It’s too hard to track just the wines released so my criteria for picking a Wine of the Year is simply any wine consumed during the calendar year 2008.
The wine I’m picking is a wine I purchased almost exactly a year ago, right before New Year’s and drank it in January. I turned to my father-in-law as we enjoyed a bottle on NYE and said, I guarantee you this wine will be in Wine Spectator’s Top 10. Sure enough, the wine I picked ended up being #3 on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 – Quinta do Crasto Reserva 2005 from Portugal.

I picked the Crasto Reserva ‘05 as my WOTY after the string of stellar vintages dating back to 2003. Crasto is a winery located in the Douro valley with an equal balance of tradition and modern winemaking. The wine itself has a new world richness and extraction with an old world sense of style. It’s not over the top, nor is it too heavy. Alcohol percentage is right where it should be, yet the winemaker is Australian giving it a certain twist. The Reserva is produced from old vine on a terraced slope. Crasto’s wines are foot-trodden with gentle cap punch down.

The wine sold out locally in January. If you can get it for under $65 I’d recommend it. Or if you want to get a taste of what to expect, pick up a bottle of Crasto Red Table wine which retails for around $20.

Filed under: Uncategorized , portugal duoro wine WOTY Crasto Reserva purple chef Top 100

2008 Year in Review

http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=13731&l=b5b40&id=1032596069
Dopplr travel picks of the year:

Albuquerque, San Francisco, Napa, Sonoma, Aspen (Aspen Food&Wine), Steamboat Springs (Steamboat Food&Wine), Bend, Portland, Willamette Valley wine region, San Francisco, Napa, Lake County, San Francisco, Russian River, Redwoods, Oregon Coast, Sydney, Melbourne, Great Ocean Road, Coonawara, Yarra Valley, McLaren Vale, Barossa Valley, Whitsunday Islands, Cairns and of course beautiful Boulder, Colorado.  Whew!  What a year.

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