Bourbon Apple Bacon Bits

Photo Credit Michael Simon

Wait, stop, they had me at “bourbon”!  And bacon too?  This was shared with me by my friend Mike S. and I had to pass it forward with his preparation tips and photo of the ready-to-be-baked bites.  He took a basic idea and made it Mike’s way so further down are some additional ideas for slightly optional ways to prepare them.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
• 3/4 cup sifted flour
• 10 slices bacon
• 1 sheet Phyllo dough (if you can’t find it you can use store-bought puff pastry)
• ¼ cup real butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbs bourbon (see below for which bourbon NOT to use)
• 1 teaspoon bottled vanilla
• 6 cups coarsely chopped apples

PREPARATION:

-Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and 1/2 cup of the flour with the butter until it resembles crumbled crackers

-Cook the bacon the usual way, crumble, let cool then fold in to above mixture

-Put the chopped apples in a separate large bowl

-To the apples, add the table sugar, the rest of the flour, the bourbon and vanilla and mix

-Lightly brush the cups of the kind of cupcake pan used for mini muffins with some of the grease from cooking the bacon (if that seems over-the-top to you, feel free to use non-stick cooking spray)

-Now cut the Phyllo dough into 2" squares and lightly press 6 layers into each cup of the pan. You are creating the cups that will hold the mixture and you want them to be flaky so don't press down too hard

-Fill each cup halfway with the apple mixture

-Fill each cup to the top with the bacon mixture

-Bake in 350 F oven for 15-20 minutes or until Phyllo dough turns golden brown and crusty

 

Two of the three major food groups are bourbon and bacon, and of course the third is chocolate so here are a couple of slight options to Mike’s recipe that should please lovers of all three.

1.       Add about ¼ cup of high cacao chocolate.  You can use a Lindt 99% Cocoa Excellence Bar or Ghirardelli Intense Dark Chocolate Midnight Reverie (or similar).  Using a sharp knife, shave the edge of the chilled bar and fold the shavings into the batter.  After baking and when the bites are cooling, add some additional slivers to the top of each for garnish.

2.       In yet another use for Tabasco® brand pepper sauce with chipotle, use about a tablespoon mixed in with your batter.  Hint:  don’t blend it fully in but rather swirl it in slightly so the tongue will hit upon pockets of flavor.  The dark smoky flavor of this sauce goes amazingly well with the bourbon, bacon and dark chocolate.

DID YOU KNOW:

One of the most expensive bottles of whiskey’s sold recently for $38,000 – a 1926 Macallan Fine and Rare.  At last report it also may have been the last known bottle available.  If you happen to have a bottle, please feel free to visit me.  Just leave the bottle, leave a glass and leave the room (and maybe a Gurkha Black Dragon cigar, which may be acquired for only $1,150 …. EACH)

QUOTE FOR THE DAY:

"Sitting down and sharing a meal together combines two of my favorite loves: eating great food and talking about great food"

- Homaro Cantu

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