Bacon Wilted Greens With Warm Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese Food

BACON-WILTED GREENS WITH WARM PECAN-CRUSTED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Line a plate with paper towels. Line a rimmed baking sheet with a silicone mat and set aside.
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to the prepared plate. Pour off all but a film of the grease on the bottom of the pan. (Just eyeball it instead of trying to measure, but it should be just about 1/2 teaspoon; discard the remaining grease.)
• To make the salad, return the skillet to low heat. Add the onion and the diced apple. Season with salt and pepper. Add the kale; cook until the kale begins to wilt, stirring occasionally, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar; cover, and cook until just tender, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to broil. Place the finely chopped pecans in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Roll the goat cheese log in the pecans to evenly coat. Refrigerate until firm if necessary, then cut evenly into 6 rounds and place each round of cheese on the sliced apple. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and broil until the cheese is melted and browned, 3 to 5 minutes.
• To serve, divide the kale salad among the plates. Top with an apple-cheese round and garnish with the reserved bacon. Serve immediately.

WILTED GREENS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Trim and chop 2 bunches dandelion greens, watercress or baby kale. Cook 3 slices chopped bacon until crisp; transfer to paper towels using a slotted spoon. Add 1 each sliced garlic clove and shallot to the drippings; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add 3 tablespoons cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon sugar; stir until dissolved. Add the greens in batches, tossing to wilt. Season with salt and pepper; top with the bacon.

PECAN CRUSTED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400.
• Stir together pecans, brown sugar and pepper.
• Place bacon on lightly greased wire rack in aluminum foil lined pan.
• Press pecan mixture into bacon and bake 20-25 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

GOAT CHEESE AND BACON DIP

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spread pecans in ungreased shallow pan. Bake uncovered 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook bacon 10 minutes, until crisp, stirring frequently. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Cook garlic in bacon drippings 1 minute.
• In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add half-and-half, beating until combined. Stir in bacon, garlic, goat cheese and 2 teaspoons thyme. Spoon mixture into ungreased 1-quart casserole or 4 (8-oz) individual baking dishes (ramekins).
• Bake uncovered 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Sprinkle with toasted pecans. Serve dip warm with pear slices, baguette slices and crackers.

BACON WRAPPED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Freeze the goat cheese for five to ten minutes if too soft and gooey so you can roll it into 8 lumberjack-thumb sized logs.
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roll in the chives.
• Wrap with bacon so that the whole log is covered.
• Place in an aluminum foil boat, or a shallow glass pan (i.e. a pie tin).
• Bake for ten minutes, or until the bacon is golden brown and the cheese bubbly.
• You can do these on the grill too if you have an aluminum grill pan. Or in a pan on the stove over medium heat turning occasionally so that it is evenly browned.

MIXED GREENS WITH CRISPY BACON, GOAT CHEESE, AND FRIED EGG

Steps:

• Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until brown and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Pour off and discard all but 1 tablespoon drippings from skillet.
• Whisk vinegar and mustard in large bowl to blend. Whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 tablespoon dressing to small bowl; set aside. Add greens to large bowl with dressing; toss to coat. Divide greens among 4 plates. Scatter goat cheese and bacon pieces over each salad.
• Heat drippings in same skillet over medium heat. Gently break eggs into skillet; cook until whites begin to set, about 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons water to skillet; cover and cook until whites are set and yolks are softly set, about 2 minutes. Using spatula, top each salad with 1 egg. Sprinkle eggs with salt and pepper. Drizzle lightly with reserved 1 tablespoon dressing and serve.

BABY GREENS WITH WARM GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Whisk together egg white and water. Dip cheese rounds in egg, letting excess drip off, then dredge in bread crumbs, pressing lightly to adhere. Chill 15 minutes.
• Whisk together vinegar, salt, mustard, sugar, and a pinch of pepper in a small salad bowl. Add 1 tablespoon oil in a slow stream, whisking until emulsified.
• Heat remaining teaspoon oil in a small nonstick skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté cheese until golden, about 30 seconds per side. Remove skillet from heat.
• Add greens to dressing and toss gently to coat. Serve salad topped with warm cheese.

QUICK-BRAISED GREENS AND BEANS WITH BACON

Steps:

• Prepare the greens: Cut the tough stems out of the greens and discard. Stack the leaves, roll tightly crosswise and slice into 3/4-inch-wide ribbons. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with cold water and swish to remove grit. Transfer greens to a colander, cleaning them a second time if the water remaining in the bowl is visibly dirty.
• Cook 2 bacon slices in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer the cooked bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Meanwhile, cut the remaining 2 bacon slices crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips.
• Add the 1/4-inch bacon strips to the hot bacon fat and cook, stirring, until the fat in the bacon strips starts to render, about 1 minute. Add the onion and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until golden brown around the edges, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
• Stir in the stock, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer, 5 minutes.
• Increase the heat to medium, add the greens, season with salt and pepper and stir until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Cover and cook until tender with a little bite, about 3 minutes.
• Uncover and add the beans and hot sauce. Stir until the beans are heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Divide among serving dishes and crumble the cooked bacon slices on top. Serve with more hot sauce.

GREENS WITH HOT BACON DRESSING

Steps:

• In a salad bowl, toss spinach, lettuce, celery and onion; set aside. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp; remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Discard all but 2 tablespoons drippings. In a small bowl, beat egg; add water and mix well. Add to the drippings. Combine vinegar, sugar, cornstarch, salt and pepper; add to skillet. Bring to a boil; stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; pour over salad. Add bacon. Toss and serve immediately.