Description
I saw this on Dinner with Julie, sent the link to all of my cooking friends and only just got around to making it on Monday. I doubled it (of course!), and cut the sugar a titch, so that’s the version I’m listing here – it’s not hard, but it’s a fair amount of bacon and you only end up with about 3 good cups. I’ve had visions of the thousand uses of something called Bacon Jam running through my head, but realistically, I think I’ll always end up going with using it as a burger topping and with goat cheese on toasts or baguette slices. Make-the-bacon-jam, I know you want to!
Ingredients
Bacon Jam
1 kg thick-sliced, good quality bacon, diced (I used Harvest)
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 head of garlic, finely chopped
1 c. good, strong coffee
1/2 c. EACH brown sugar, packed AND maple syrup
2 T. EACH balsamic vinegar AND Dijon mustard
Instructions
Cook the bacon in a large heavy pot or skillet (I have a large, lidded, non-stick skillet that I used – best for stopping bacon splatter), until it’s the crispiness that you would normally eat it. Remove the pan from the heat, use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked bacon to a bowl and drain off most of the fat.
Add the onion and garlic to the remaining fat and saute for about 5 minutes until the onion is soft, then return the bacon to the pan along with the remaining ingredients and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, for about 30 minutes. The ‘jam’ should thicken and appear spreadable.
I put the hot jam into 3 hot, sterilized jars, but next time I think I would just go with containers – it’s not like it’s going to be around for long. Another option is to put part of it through the food processor, but you can decide how chunky you’d like it. Serve it warm or cold, any variety of ways as mentioned, or for some (thinking of my brother), perhaps straight up? Enjoy!
- Category: Appetizers, Freezes Well, Make-ahead