I have a special relationship with bacon. I don’t think I’m alone. I can remember the first time I tasted it. Even though the jewish household I was brought up in wasn’t strictly kosher, my parents never fed us pork at home (besides the occasional chinese spare rib from my grandfather). So in bacon-terms, I was a bit of a late bloomer.

I was 11 or so. It was summer. It was a Bob’s Big Boy in Connecticut. One bite and I was hooked.

Since then, that summer romance has gone from a crush to a full fledged obsession. Pig in all its many forms is a glorious thing. Living in Brooklyn now, you can throw a dart and it would probably land on some indulgent pork dish. Eating out is fun, and Frankies’ Bacon is pretty hard to beat. However, there’s only one really way to take any bacon obsession to the next level: Make your own.

Spurred by Michael Ruhlman and the BLT from scratch challenge he’s running, I figured it was time to try my hand. I was a little worried at first, letting raw meat sit for so long in the fridge. As soon as I tasted it, though, my worries turned into absolute glee: This is the best bacon I’ve ever had. That first crispy fatty bite, at the Bob’s big boy, paled in comparison to the unctuous, smokey flavor, of my own creation.

Following the recipe from Charcuterie, there’s really only one special ingredient that you need (pink salt) and its very easily procured from Butcher & Packer.

I also halved the recipe and split the Pork belly in half to try two different approaches.

Maple-cured Smoked Bacon

Ingredients: 2 ounces/50 grams kosher salt
2 teaspoons/12 grams pink salt
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup (use something good, no Aunt Jemima)
5 pound slab of pork belly, with skin

1. Combine the dry ingredients first, then add the syrup and mix well.

2. Rub the belly on all sides with the mixture, massaging and getting into all the crevices.

3. Place belly and any remaining cure into a very big (2 gallon) zip lock bag, remove all the
air before sealing and then massage the bag so that the cure is evenly distributed.

4. Put in the fridge for at least a week (every day over a week, it will get saltier) turning over and massaging every other day. Remove when the meat feels firm. Note: After 9 days, my belly still didn’t feel firm in the plastic bag. However, once I removed it, it felt much firmer. The plastic bag gave a bit of a squishy illusion.

5. Remove the belly, rinse the cure off completely and let dry in the fridge over night (at least 12 hours).

6. Smoke that belly! I smoked the belly on a grill with wood chunks that I soaked for a number of hours. The important thing is to keep it out of direct heat – you want more smoke then heat. The idea is to slowly get the bacon to an internal temperature of 150F. Stick a thermometer in its side (not through the skin) to test. Once you take it off and let it cool for a bit, if you’ve done your job right, you should be able to remove the skin easily.

Once complete, you can keep it in the fridge, or freeze the whole thing, which makes it keep a lot longer and also makes it much easier to slice.

There’s not much more I can say about how awesome this bacon tastes. We cooked a couple slices just straight on the grill at a friends house for July 4th. We cut it into little chunks for people to get a taste. They disappeared almost instantly.

And it’s on to more baking! This week I decided to get creative and took a rustic French bread recipe, made a few additions and subtractions, infusing our apartment with cardamom in the process, and ended up with this lovely bread. Although in the beginning the dough seemed heavy and reluctant to rise, clinging to the metal sides of the mixing bowl like there was no tomorrow, it eventually rallied in the warming kitchen once the oven was pre-heated and resulted in two healthy sized loaves.

The secret to making this bread soft and not too crunchy, is to include three granny smith apples along with their juice. Remarkably, I didn’t taste much apple in the bread, so in the future I might even add more, or perhaps use organic apples (mine were from the local grocery store, and while edible, were a bit waxy. They can’t possibly hold as much flavor after being processed in the ‘gem tumblers’ at the greenhouses to make them shine. Yep, I’m using those ruddy, misshapen, yet tart, apples from the farmer’s market next time around). The fantastic thing about baking in multiples is that once out of the oven, one loaf of bread can be packed into the freezer for a rainy day, and the other can be made into superb toast.

Cardamom-Cinnamon Bread

Ingredients:
3 large eggs
2/3 cup cold milk (2%, just not non-fat)
2 tablespoons dry yeast (3 active yeast packets)
3/4 cup sugar
3 granny smith apples, peeled, and coarsley grated
juice from the strained, grated granny smith apples
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons cardamom
7 cups unbleached bread flour (and additional flour for kneading)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup sweet cream salted butter at room temperature

Prep time: 20 min.
Resting time: 1 hour
Rising time: 1 hour
Baking time: 30 minutes
makes 2 loaves

1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer with the dough hook attached, mix the eggs, milk, yeast, sugar, grated apples, apple juice, cinnamon, cardamom, and flour at low speed for 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the salt, switch to medium speed, and continue kneading for an additional 6 minutes. Switch to low speed and gradually add the butter, kneading until a uniform dough is formed. Remove dough from machine and shape into a ball on the counter with the reserved flour, until the dough is pliable but not too sticky.

2. Cover and let rest in a warm place for 1 hour.

3. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface and flatten it out, removing any air pockets. Divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, knead briefly, then form each into a neat round. let rest 5 minutes or so.

4. Roll the round into an oval shape about 10 inches long and 4 inches across, with a rounded top and slightly tapered ends.

5. Place the loaves onto a lightly greased baking sheet and let rise 1 hour.

6. Just before baking, use a sharp knife and make 2 or 3 diagonal slashes in the top.

7. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until golden brown, checking occasionally for even browning.

Recently, Aaron traveled to Tokyo to speak at a conference on a portion of open source web development named after a member of the Rat Pack: Sinatra. While he’s away enjoying ramen, pork katsu, dumplings, and yaki soba, among other tasty Japanese delicacies, I decided to do something I’m typically discouraged to do when he’s around – heat up our apartment in the dead of summer by turning on the oven and baking! My first hedonistic foray was a simple twist on the toll-house chocolate chip cookie recipe, but with peanut butter, mini m&ms, and some other tweaks thrown in. The cookies came out crispy on the edges, but slightly chewy in the middle – and are great frozen too!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (sweet cream salted), softened
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
1 cup mini m&ms

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla extract and peanut butter in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture (flour, baking soda and salt). Stir in chocolate chips and mini m&ms. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

It’s common knowledge that Aaron and I are both huge fans of cucumbers. Whether kirbys, english cucumbers, or gherkins come into our apartment, they typically end up being pickled. In fact, it’s a rare case when some of these cucumbers are spirited away and manage to bypass the boiling vats of vinegar and curing jars. This sandwich is the result of such an occasion.

After a recent trip to the farmer’s market, we scored some great kirbys, and a dozen farm-raised chicken eggs, among other delectable finds. In a moment of inspiration, I decided to throw these ingredients together with some labneh from Sahadis, a few sprigs of fresh dill from our terrace, a dash of salt and a generous shake of pepper onto a warm bagel – and voila, a lunch masterpiece -

Amped-up Cucumber Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 freshly baked bagel
at least a couple of generous tablespoons of labneh
2 hard boiled eggs sliced (see excellent steps to doing this flawlessly below)
1 cucumber sliced thinly
dill
salt
pepper

Stack and enjoy.

The Idiot Proof Way to Cook the Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs

(courtesy of a 1964 edition of The Joy of Cooking – this version also has instructions on how to skin a squirrel; it’s serious stuff)

1. Place in a saucepan, preferably glass or enamel, unshelled eggs, and cover them with cold water.
2. Put the pan over medium heat and bring the water to boiling point  and let the water simmer.
3. Now watch your time, which will depend on how large and how cold your eggs are. Add 2 minutes to the time, if the eggs came right out of the refrigerator.
4. Allow about 15 minutes after you reduce the heat to a simmer.
5. When the time is up, plunge the finished hard-cooked eggs in cold water at once to arrest further cooking and to prevent the yolks from discoloring. Then peel and devour.

Tonight turned out to be one of those evenings where the weather was simply too nice, to not cook outside. So we fired up the grill for a second night in a row, defrosted some flank steak and took a walk to our favorite fruit & vegetable stand a couple of blocks away, which is owned by Japanese grocers and stocked with some of the neighborhood’s freshest produce. The smokey flavors of the beef really complimented the meaty texture of the edamame – plus when everything was tossed together, the colors looked beautiful:

Grilled Flank Steak with Eggplant, Edamame & Egg Noodles

Ingredients:

flank steak
3 italian eggplants
1 cup shelled edamame
1 whole red onion, sliced thinly
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup ginger, julienned
1 purple pepper, sliced into strips
1 packet chinese egg noodles, boiled for 5 minutes

Toss the flank steak, egg noodles, and vegetables in hoisin sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, sriracha, and salt, and pepper.

For dessert, we treated ourselves to pumpkin whoopie pies, with cream cheese frosting, from One Girl Cookies.

The day after the Fourth of July, one is usually still feeling the after-effects of delightful, indulgent gluttony. In our case, this included: white hot dogs, kielbasa, smoked bacon, ribs, grilled fava beans, portobello mushrooms, spicy peanut slaw, strawberries, sour cherry tart, banana white chocolate cookies, and blondies, just to name a few dishes. Needless to say, when dinner time swung around tonight, we were both craving something lighter, to ease us out of our stupor. After a quick forage in our fridge, and pantry, we decided on:

Grilled Whole Chicken with
salt and pepper
olive oil
parsley
lemon juice
grilled about an hour, after chilling in the fridge for an equal amount of time, uncovered (but on a plate, no worries) to create an extra crispiness in the skin.

Pearl Couscous Salad with
1/4 cup feta cheese
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved and grilled
1/2 pound fresh spinach, sauted in white wine
1 cup diced carrots
1 shallot
3 cloves garlic

Grilled Summer Squash with
olive oil
salt and pepper

Wine: 2008 Borghese Fleurette, from the North Fork of Long Island

I recently made the pact to start baking bread at least once a week. At a new point in my career, it’s the perfect time to make changes at home, too. While I was tempted to go to my local book store and buy the quintessential bread baking tome to begin my new challenge with, my practical side won out, and I started with a book I already had lying around. The first recipe I decided to tackle was from a book I’d purchased long ago, while still in college, entitled The Easy Way to Artisan Breads & Pastries.

After much deliberation, and a battle in our house as to whether or not I should make an apple cinnamon bread, the English Tea-Sandwich Bread recipe was chosen. Basically, it’s a bit like a brioche, with a dark glossy crust and a buttery-light interior that produces a delicate crumb. It only had to rise twice, and was easily handled in my knock-off Hamilton Beach stand mixer (although the motor did get a little heated). The result was lovely and will be perfect with butter, jam, cucumbers, cheese, pickles, watercress, or as Aaron prefers it: with a fried egg and his home-cured bacon. Here is the recipe with my tweaks included:

English Tea-Sandwich Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup room temperature water
1/4 cup cold milk (I used low fat)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon active-dry yeast (a packet and a little more)
1 medium egg yolk (I used a farm raised chicken egg)
1/4 cup sweet cream, salted butter, room temperature (I microwaved this butter for 15 seconds and then tossed it in the bowl)
3 1/2 cups bread flour unbleached
2 teaspoons morton’s salt
1 egg, beaten for brushing
Additional flour for assorted tasks

Prep time: 20 min.
Resting time: 2 hours
Rising time: 1 hour
Baking time: 18 min. or 45 min. depending on pan size
makes either one 12-inch loaf or two 8-inch loaves

Note: this bread can be fully baked and frozen.

1. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer with the dough hook attached, mix the water, milk, sugar, yeast, egg yolk, butter, and flour at low speed for 3 minutes. With the machine running, add the salt and continue to knead at low speed for 12 minutes.

2. Transfer the dough to a floured bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for 2 hours.

3. Place the dough on a floured work surface and flatten it out with the palm of the hand to remove air pockets.

4. Form a ball of dough and place the palms of the hands on top of it. Roll the dough, easing the ball into an oval shape the length of the pan(s).

5. Place in a greased loaf pan, brush with the beaten egg, and let rise for 1 hour, or until the dough rises above the edges of the pan.

6. Bake in a preheated 400 degrees F oven for 45 minutes, or until a deep golden brown, that sounds hollow when tapped.

7. Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from the pan (you might have to use a knife to clear the edges) to finish cooling on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.