You guys! Um… everything is seriously BONKERS right now!
a) there’s coffee on my bacon.
b) there’s a TON of you at my first book signing.
c) i’m out in the world wearing a blazer and pretending that I’m not shy.
And things have only just begun to get crazy. I’m about to get crazy (and totally wear a blazer) in a city near you!
But first, Coffee Bacon… yet another recipe from the Joy the Baker Cookbook, and one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever shoved into my face.
Here’s a peek at my very first book signing! Whoa, dudes. Standing room only? How is this a thing that’s even possible!?
Thank you for coming out. Thanks for all the hugs and laughs. I’ll post more of your smiling faces soon!
Bacon is good. Bacon certainly doesn’t need any help from little ol’ me.
But. Well. Why not give it a little face-lift just for fun?
I mixed together ground coffee beans, brown sugar, molasses, chili powder, and a bit of water, and created a loose paste.
You know how bacon comes in a package layered and staggered? I poured the coffee mixture over the staggered bacon and let it marinate for a few hours. After some time, I removed the bacon from the fridge, and removed just some of the coffee marinade. I baked it up crisp… and it’s almost sandwich time!
This fancy-ish sandwich would not be complete without a homemade spread.
Goat cheese is the start. I placed goat cheese in a bowl and mashed it together with dates, lemon zest, lemon juice, and chili flakes. Mashing requires just a bowl, a fork, and a good amount of pressure. Totally technical. I know.
Here’s what’s happening here:
a) lightly buttered and toasted bread.
b) fresh spinach.
c) bright, tangy, and sweet goat cheese spread. The sweetness is a nice compliment to the salty bacon.
d) coffee bacon! If you’re not excited about this… if you’re still looking at me with a strange face, let me explain. Coffee marinated bacon doesn’t bake up with a strong coffee flavor. The coffee bakes out a bit and lends a depth and richness to the coffee. Molasses give the bacon some deep sweetness, and chili powder adds some quality kick. If you’re skeptical… I totally get it. I just think t hat smashing breakfast items together is cool. Give it a try. I really do think you’ll be surprised!
I’m out in the world being weird with my cookbook, White on Rice Couple, Cristina Ferrera, and Kitchen Aid. I don’t even want to tell you:
a) how many carbs I have to consume to eat my way out of shyness.
b) how truly excited I am to meet you out in the world.
c) just how much I want you to make coffee bacon, because you might think me creepy.
photo from momfluential.net
Coffee Bacon Sandwiches
makes 8 pieces of bacon and enough spread 4 sandwiches
coffee bacon recipe from Joy the Baker Cookbook
For the Bacon:
8 slices uncooked bacon
1/4 cup freshly ground coffee
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon water
For the Spread:
4 ounces goat cheese
4 medjool dates, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon lemon zest
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the Sandwich:
fresh baby spinach leaves
crusty, toasted bread
Lay cascading bacon slices atop one another so that the fat is on top. Place bacon on top of a piece of plastic wrap or brown butcher paper.
In a small bowl, stir together ground coffee, chili powder, brown sugar, molasses, and water. Spread the mixture on top of the bacon slices, pressing with the back of a spoon. The coffee topping will only be on the top, fatted rim of the bacon. Wrap the bacon and coffee in the plastic wrap or butcher paper and place in the fridge. You may want to put the mixture in a large sealable back to prevent any leaking. Let sit for 2 hours of overnight.
When ready to bake, place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pay separate bacon slices on the paper in a single layer. If you prefer, you can wipe some of the ground coffee marinade off before baking. The majority of the coffee will only be on the top layer of the bacon slice.
Bake until browned and crisp, 14 to 17 minutes, or until bacon has reached your desired crispiness. Remove from the oven, allow to drain on a piece of paper towel and assemble goat cheese spread.
To make the Spread: In a medium bowl, place goat cheese, pitted dates, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil and red pepper flakes. Use a fork to mash the ingredients together. Mash until well incorporated. Add a touch more lemon juice or olive oil to reach your desired consistency.
Spread goat cheese mixture on buttered and toasted bread. Top with coffee bacon and fresh spinach. Serve immediately.
Lauren J.
My husband thinks that this recipe is the best thing I’ve ever cooked. I also used mascarpone instead of goat cheese (because we already had some in the fridge), forgot to inclue the dates, and marinaded for about 5 minutes instead of the suggested two hours. It was incredible. Like hands down the best thing I’ve eaten this month.
Karlyne
This is a seriously inspired recipe. I love the idea of marinating the bacon, I’m thinking I might try this for our Bed and Breakfast!
http://www.dinosaurtrailcabins.com