Can’t beat bacon and brown sugar
Serve delicious bourbon slushies with this Southern treat
The American South rightfully has one of the most storied regional cuisines in North America, and I enjoyed channelling my inner Southern belle on a holiday visit to the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida.
It started — as so many good things do — with bacon. I baked a batch of brown sugar-coated, bacon-wrapped bread sticks for friends who were settling in to play cards, and they were such a hit that I had to skip the game and run to the grocery store for more bacon.
Next time I’ll serve them with bourbon slush, a seductive, citrusy concoction one of our house guests introduced us to.
I’m rounding out today’s column with my favourite recipe for pecan pie. It’s French-inspired, not the classic pecan pie you eat in the South, but a dollop of Bourbon Cream adds a pleasing Southern accent.
Bacon Bites
Elizabeth Haskell calls this the most sought-after recipe in her recent book, What Can I Bring? Southern Food for Any Occasion Life Serves Up (Oxmoor House, 2017). Keep a close eye on the oven and turn the bacon bites with tongs if they are cooking too fast on the bottom. Once they are cool, you can keep them for up to two days in an airtight container. Makes: 22 2 cups (500 mL) packed light brown sugar 22 bacon slices 22 very thin bread sticks (about 9 inches long)
Preheat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty aluminum foil.
Spread the brown sugar on a large platter or pan. Wrap one bacon slice around each bread stick, barely overlapping as you wind it from one end to the other. Roll the wrapped bread sticks in the brown sugar, pressing to make it adhere.
Arrange the bread sticks on the prepared pan. Bake until the bacon is cooked through and almost crisp, 35 to 40 minutes. Immediately remove the warm sticks from the pan and place on wax paper. (They will stick like glue if you don’t.) Cool to room temperature.
Bourbon Slushies
If you’re expecting a crowd, you can serve this easy and delicious slush in a chilled punch bowl. Serves: 12 8 cups (2 L) brewed hot tea 1 ¾ cups (425 mL) sugar 1 12-oz (355 mL) can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1 12-oz (355 mL) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed 3 cups (750 mL) bourbon 1 25 oz (750 mL) bottle lemonlime carbonated soda
Combine hot tea and sugar; stir until sugar dissolves. Stir in concentrates, and allow mixture to cool to room temperature. Add bourbon and soda. Place in freezer for at least eight hours or overnight. Spoon into wine glasses.
French Pecan Tart
Weighting down the dough rather than pricking it ensures the filling won’t seep into the holes and make the crust soggy. If you don’t have pie weights, use dried beans. Serves: 8-10 Cream Cheese Pastry 1 cup (250 mL) butter 8 oz ( 250 g) cream cheese 2 cups (500 mL) all-purpose flour Dash of salt 1 tsp (5 mL) grated lemon zest
Pecan filling
2 cups (500 mL) pecans, coarsely chopped (1/2 lb) 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream ½ cup (125 mL) sugar Bourbon Cream (see recipe; optional)
Blend butter, cream cheese, flour, salt, and lemon zest with pastry blender or in food processor just until the dough holds together. Shape dough into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate until well chilled, about one hour.
Preheat oven to 400 F (205 C).
Press chilled dough evenly into an 11-inch (28 cm) fluted tart pan or 10-inch (25 cm) pie plate. Trim the edges and place in freezer for 20 minutes. Remove tart from freezer and line it with foil. Fill with pie weights or dried beans and prebake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans and let cool.
Using an electric mixer, whip cream until firm, adding sugar gradually. With a rubber spatula, fold in pecans. Scrape filling into prebaked crust, place on a baking sheet and bake 30 minutes.
Remove tart from oven; it will set further as it cools. Serve with Bourbon Cream, whipped cream or crème fraîche.
Bourbon Cream
Makes: 2 cups 1 cup (250) whipping cream 1 tbsp (15 mL) bourbon ½ tsp (2.5 mL) pure vanilla extract
Using an electric mixer, beat all the ingredients in a large bowl until softly whipped. Kitchen Hack: Chopping Nuts Swap out your chef’s knife for a serrated bread knife. The serrated edge grabs and holds the nuts in place, making faster work of the task.