Baked Five-Spice-Maple-Glazed Salmon

 

a smidgen of Chinese five-spice blend, 


a taste of maple syrup,
a trickle of lemon juice,


a driblet of hoisin sauce,
a pinch of ginger,

a dollop of Dijon mustard...

That's all it takes to create this tasty glaze!

Slow-Cooker Bacon Jam

Dear bacon jam ~ I knew I loved you before I even made you! 

It’s sticky, porky, sweet, garlicky, savory and spicy.  Frying the bacon till crisp, and combining with onions, garlic and other ingredients, cooking long and slow for the onions to caramelize, allowing it to turn into a thick syrup; and finally, pulverizing it all in a food processor for one of the best chunky gustatory sensations you can imagine.

This recipe, from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food magazine, has been floating around for at least a year, and I can’t imagine why it took me so long to finally make it.  The only change I will be making the next time is to double the recipe so as to share.  It is equally delicious served cold, room temperature, or warmed.  And it keeps well refrigerated for a month, if it lasts that long.

This is definitely one of the best things I have done with bacon.  I slathered this ‘jam’ on my toast this morning, but there are so many ways to enjoy it:  On a slice of tomato, on a burger, or a warm biscuit, grilled cheese, bagel chips, fried eggs, flambéed cheese, shrimp, scallops, whitefish, pork tenderloin, chicken, on crostini.  In quesadillas, on peanut butter or fried egg sandwiches, pancakes, waffles, burritos, pigs in a blanket, pizza, deviled eggs or potato salad.  Spread the bacon jam on a crescent roll before rolling and baking and serve either warm or room temperature.  Or just “straight-up,” right out of the jar!

Before

After 3.5 hours slow cooking

Slow-Cooker Bacon Jam

Ingredients:

1-1/2 pounds sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
2 medium yellow onions, diced small
3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3/4 cup brewed strong coffee

Method:

Line a platter with paper towels, and set aside.

In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat is rendered and the bacon is lightly browned, approximately 20 minutes.

With a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to the platter to drain.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat (discard or reserve for another use).

Add the onions and garlic, and cook until the onions are translucent, 5-6 minutes.

Add vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup and coffee, and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. 

Add the bacon, and stir to combine.

Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until liquid is syrupy, 3½ to 4 hours.

If it starts to dry out after 2 or 3 hours, add ¼ cup of water at a time and stir well.

Transfer to a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.

Let cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 4 weeks.

Oh, my gosh, if you haven’t made bacon jam yet, you have to do it soon!  You might just love it and become addicted too!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips and recipes.   She’s having an awesome giveaway now!

Maple-Soy Salmon Filets

I love salmon but, who would imagine it with maple syrup!  When I first read this recipe in some magazine a long time ago, I was really curious and knew I had to try it.

Did you know that salmon are bred originally in fresh water but swim out to salt water for most of their lives?  Then at some point, they swim back upstream, fighting the strong currents, challenging nature’s gravity and whipping their flipper-like tails to return to fresh water for spawning, only to die.  Talk about sacrificing for the young!  It is an amazing thing and one more reason to mad for salmon besides its fantastic flavor. 

This pungent glaze is packed with tangy and sweet flavors and works perfectly with the richness of salmon.  It makes, without a doubt, the best and the most delicious salmon I have ever eaten.  It has just a few ingredients along with the syrup; soy sauce, Dijon mustard and salt and pepper and it requires nothing else.  You will understand once you taste it!

 Maple-Soy Salmon Fillets

Ingredients:

4 salmon fillets

Salt and pepper

½ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Season filets with salt and pepper.

Whisk remaining ingredients together. 

Lay salmon filets skin side down in 9”x13” baking dish.

Using a pastry brush, spread a thick layer of the maple-soy glaze over tops and sides of salmon.

Bake 20-25 minutes until flesh flakes when tested with a fork.

Baste filets a couple of times with the glaze.

Place on platter and serve. 

Absolutely delicious!!!

Barbecue Baked Bean Dip

Wow! Does this look good or what?   It looks and sounds like it’s filled with a gazillion calories and is probably worth every last one of them. Actually though, the article states it packs an only slightly more reasonable 567 calories per serving. Do you think it’s worth it? I do!

The was published in The Northwest Herald yesterday and the photo had me salivating.  According to the article:  the dip combines the best of barbecue-style baked beans with a creamy sauce laced with maple syrup, brown sugar, cream cheese and – just for good measure – cheddar cheese.

It’s best served with tortilla chips for dipping, or spooned over them nacho-style.  Since Super Bowl is nearly here, this just might be the dish you want to cook for the big party day.  And if you do, please let me know how you like it!

Barbecue Baked Bean Dip

Ingredients:

1½ cups ketchup

½ cup molasses

1/3 cup maple syrup

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

3 strips bacon, finely chopped

4 slices deli ham, finely diced

1 small yellow onion, diced

¼ cup Dijon mustard

1 cup water

3 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained

8 ounce package cream cheese, softened

8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

1 pound bag corn tortilla chips

Method:

In medium saucepan over medium heat, combine ketchup, molasses, maple syrup, brown sugar, bacon, ham, onion, mustard and water.

Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often, until very thick, about 2 hours.

Add beans and simmer another 10 minutes.

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Spread the cream cheese in an even layer across the bottom of a deep 8”x8” baking or casserole dish. 

Spoon beans and sauce over cream cheese.

Top with cheddar cheese.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and heated through.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Yum!  Yum!  Yum!