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INGREDIENTS

1 rotisserie chicken, meat pulled and placed in a medium bowl
¼ cups sliced pecans, toasted
1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
½ red onion, finely diced
½ cup celery, finely diced
¼ cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 cups strawberries, cleaned and sliced into fourths
5 cups bibb and butter lettuce chopped

In bowl with chicken, combine all ingredients except chopped lettuce.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour letting ingredients blend together.  Fan out chopped lettuce greens on a plate, then pour mixture over greens to serve.

Many Rosés have a tart cherry/cranberry cider thing going on, but not this one.  I really liked the 2009 St. Supéry Rosé not because I work there, but because it really is an exceptional wine.  A few nights ago there was a virtual rosé tasting at a gallery in downtown Napa.  Out of 30 pink wines, this one was easily one of the crowd favorites.

It doesn’t make your salivary glands tweak out because it’s not tart.  It’s more of a velvety Cabernet-based rosé with a long finish for a rosé and enough backbone to go with the chicken in this salad.  Cheers!

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Serves 6

INGREDIENTS For lamb:
1 crown of lamb made from two 8-rib racks (about 4 1/2 pounds total)
3 TBSP butter, room temperature
1 TBSP plus 1/2 TSP Dijon mustard
2 TSP dried rosemary

1 cup dry white wine
large shallots, chopped
1/4 cup chicken stock
3 TBSP fresh mint, chopped

For Spring Vegetables with Mint:
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved
1 baby carrot bunch, stems trimmed to 1 inch, peeled
1 10 OZ. basket pearl onions, peeled
1 LB fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into thirds

3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP fresh mint, chopped

Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon mustard and 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary in bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place lamb in roasting pan. Rub all over with butter mixture. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. and continue roasting until thermometer inserted into lamb registers 140°F. for medium-rare, about 40 minutes. Transfer lamb to platter; let stand 15 minutes.

Pour off fat from roasting pan and set pan aside. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over low heat. Add shallots and 1/2 teaspoon rosemary; sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine to roasting pan and bring to boil over high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Add wine to skillet. Add stock; boil until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon mustard and mint. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon vegetables in center of and around roast. Serve, cutting lamb into chops and spooning sauce over.

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photo courtesy of getty

INGREDIENTS

1-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
7 TBSP butter, melted
7 egg yolks
3/4 TSP cream of tartar
2 14-OZ cans sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup lime juice
Whipped cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  In small bowl, mix together graham cracker crumbs and melted butter until wlel-blended.  Spray 9-inch pie pan with nonstick cooking spray; press crumb mixture firmly over bottom and sides of pie pan.  Set aside.
In medium mixing bowl, whip egg yolks until foamy, about 3 minutes.  Add cream of tartar and condensed milk and blend for about 1 minute.  Pour lime juice into egg mixture and mix for 1 minute.  Pour filling into prepared pie crust.  Bake 15 minutes, cool for 15 minutes.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

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INGREDIENTS for CRAB CAKES
1 egg, beaten
1 LB fresh Dungeness crab
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/3 cup grated pecorino cheese
1/4 cup mayonaisse
3 shallots, finely chopped
2 TBSP dijon mustard
juice from one lemon
1/4 cup green bell peppers, minced
1/4 cup red bell peppers, minced
1 TBSP green onions
2 TBSP parsley, finely chopped
1 TBSP butter
1/4 TSP cayenne pepper

INGREDIENTS for SALAD
4 cups watercress, rinsed
4 oranges, peeled and separated
juice from one lemon
1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1 fennel bulb, cleaned and sliced thinly
Salt and Pepper to taste
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To prepare the crab cakes, heat butter in a sauté pan over medium low heat. Add shallots and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together shallots, grated cheese, lemon juice, mayo, egg, mustard, bread crumbs, bell pepper, salt and cayenne.  After mixing, add in crab meat, then divide into 8-10 balls.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To prepare salad, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  In a separate bowl, toss watercress, orange segments, fennel and onion together.

Remove crab balls from refrigerator and flatten into one inch thick cakes.  Heat 2-3 TBSP oil or butter in a skillet and cook for 4 minutes on each side over medium heat.  Distribute salad mix on chilled plates, top with dressing and crab cakes then serve.

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Wine pairings for this dish are pretty easy.  It’s a flexible dish suitable for many Chardonnay’s or rich whites.  The crab cakes are pretty hearty, so make sure to serve with a white wine that can hang.  I’ve tried oaked Chardonnay’s and unoaked Chardonnays.  The both worked.  Pinot Grigio, Semillion, Viognier and other whites also work.  If I had to pick one wine as the most ideal pairing, it would be the Wente Riva Ranch Chardonnay from Livermore.

I’m more of an unoaked Chardonnay kinda guy, but once in a while, you just want that buttery butter ball that even Mrs. Butterworth thinks is buttery.  The Riva Ranch Chardonnay isn’t obnoxious — still refined and a great expression of the vineyard.  Many people don’t realize the Wente’s were one of the first wine family’s in California going back to the 1850’s.  They’ve quietly gone about producing consistent well-priced estate wines.

The Riva Ranch has a creamy “dusty” texture with mineral highlights that can best be described as a combination of wet rocks and smoke.

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Here it is loyal bacon fans, this year’s list of crisp, savory delectables that are sure to light up your taste buds like a pinball machine.  A year ago I provided a list of the top 10 bacon recipes for 2008 that you can see updated here.  This year, bacon became the cosmic glue that wove social media sites together.  There were highlights, and there were lowlights…well, the lowlights were most likely everyone’s lipid profile at the doctor.

I selected this year’s recipes based on a combination of pushing the boundaries of how bacon should be used and ease of making the recipes.  So here you go in no particular order:

1. Bacon Wrapped Mashed Potatoes

That’s right, I said it.  Bacon wrapped around mashed potatoes.  You may want to mow down some Lipitor and fish oil pills before taking on this dish.  It’s really quite simple—make the mash potatoes, and if you’re like my Mom or Paula Deen, you put a stick of butter in your potatoes.  Because I’m a real health nut, I only put a half stick of butter.  Keep the milk to a minimum because you want the potatoes to have the consistency of spackle.

Once you make the potatoes, slow cook some bacon in a pan half way.  You want to cook the bacon just enough that it starts to crisp, but you can still bend it without breaking.  Let the bacon cool on a paper towel, then weave the bacon together like fabric.  Put the bacon on a cookie sheet then put a dollop of mash potatoes in on the woven pig products.  Wrap the bacon around said potatoes, then bake until the bacon gets crispy.

If you really want to throw caution to the wind, put some cheese in there just to give your arteries the finger.

2. Bacon Candy

I didn’t have to look too far for this gem.  As it turns out, this recipe was the catalyst that led to my being hired at St. Supéry winery.  Back in March, Lisa DeBruin aka winedivergirl and I were talking about bacon.  She mentioned she had a friend who had been experimenting with this recipe.  That person turned out to be LesleyKeffer who is now my boss at the winery.  See what happens when you follow your love of bacon?

The recipe is simple: Crisp, savory bacon with BBQ rub, caramel, semisweet chocolate and crystallized ginger.  Check it here.

How lucky am I to work for someone who loves bacon as much as I do?  I freakin’ scored!

3. The Bacon Smootie

My wife was none to pleased when she saw what I was putting in our blender.  I’m not going to lie, it’s kinda weird. But it works.  The reason why is the chocolate, which goes with bacon quite nicely.  And chocolate also goes with raspberries, so together, the chocolate, raspberries and bacon are like the Voltron of savory flavor.  The recipe was very tasty, but gasey.  Go here to get the original recipe that started it all.

photo courtesy of prevention.com

4. Bacon Wrapped French Toast Sticks

Contrary to popular belief, this masterpiece is NOT made with Twinkies, it’s made with french toast sticks.  Of course if you really had no concern for your own well being you could substitute Twinkies, but I think the creme filling would be gross.  By using french toast sticks this actually qualifies as breakfast rather than a late night snack put together after too many bong rips.  The judges have awarded the Stonehenge concept with high marks, but the execution was lazy, so the judges had to dock them a few points because it wasn’t to scale.

photo credit unknown

5. The Lowrider Pizza

This recipe is based on a pie served at Proto’s in Colorado.  We took something good and made it orgasmic!  How? you might ask.  By adding more crisp, savory bacon.

Get yourself an unbaked pizza crust (we like the Pilsbury pizza dough at most grocery stores).  In a bowl, mix together tomato sauce with about a TSP of chipotle Tabasco sauce or some other chipotle sauce.  Add a little more to give the sauce a little Jackie Chan kick to your tongue if you’d like.  Cover the pizza with shredded mozzarella, crisp bacon bits, small red onion slice and pineapple chunks.  Don’t hate on the pineapple going on the pizza, it serves a purpose which is to counter the spice of the chipotle.  Bake the pizza as fast as you can, then cover the pie with chopped cilantro.

Of course, when in doubt, add some more crisp savory bacon bits.  It’s a simple pizza to make, but a good twist to feature the bacon.

lowrider baby, yeah!

6. Bouef a la Bourguignonne

This might be one of my favorite recipes of all time for winter.  It has two of my favorite things in life— bacon and wine.  Yum!  This is a hearty dish that you slow cook all day before serving.  It requires a little foresight and preparation the day before, but when you do it right it’ll all be worth it.

The recipe calls for 4OZ. of bacon, but by all means don’t let that stop you from adding more   The meat you select is important, don’t get the cheap stew meat, even though it’ll be tender, get something that’s tender to start with.  Tri tip is a good choice.

Get the recipe here

7. Maple Bacon Cinnamon Rolls

I nearly blew my ‘O’ ring when I first tried this breakfast item.  I mean, come on, it’s bacon wrapped or sprinkled onto or into cinnamon rolls.  Now is probably a good time to make a public service announcement about not eating all these recipes in the same week.  Space it out.  Your doctor will thank you for it.

The recipe is available from Delicious Coma and can be found here.

photo via Delicious Coma

8. Emeril’s Brussels Sprouts with Bacon (Video)

Emeril made last year’s Top 10 bacon list too.  Hmmm, this guy might be onto something.  This recipe was selected because you need vegetables from time to time, and what makes vegetables better?  Yep.  You got it.

Get it here

photo via Food Network

9. Heirloom Grilled Cheese Sammich w/ Tomato Bacon Soup

Comfort food plain and simple.  It’s quick and easy to make and when you think about it, what else do you need in life?  Many of the essential food groups are represented here, which is nice.  Anytime you can get vegetables in with your bacon it’s a good thing.

When I saw this recipe from Rick Massa on the Food Network site, I was hooked.  You will be too which is why it’s on the top ten list.

10. You Call It!

There are so many great bacon recipes, and throughout the year I’ve talked to many creative people online who have great uses for bacon, so we’re going to crowd source the final pick of the list.  Leave a comment below and let me know which bacon recipe YOU think should be on the top ten.  See you in 2010!

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INGREDIENTS

3 tuna steaks cut in into 1-1/4 inch thick (about a pound each)
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2 TBSP capers, drained
1 lemon, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 TBSP parsley, finely chopped
4 TBSP butter
Seas Salt & fresh ground pepper

Preheat grill (or broiler) to medium high. Brush both sides of tuna with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the butter is light brown.
Cut lemon slices into quarters. Add them, along with their juice, along with capers to saucepan. Reduce heat and cook stirring frequently.
Grill, or broil tuna turning once until charred outside and slightly pink inside (about 3-4 minutes per side).
Transfer tuna to large platter and cut into thick strips. Pour lemon and caper sauce over fish and serve garnished with parsley.

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1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
4 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine
3 garlic cloves, minced
6 rosemary sprigs
1 lemon
3/4 stick butter
3 TSP capers, drained
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Wash and pat dry chicken, separating skin from body. In a small bowl, melt butter, then mix in garlic, salt, pepper, juice from half of lemon and 3 rosemary sprigs, finely chopped.
Rub mixture under skin of chicken, making sure to rub some on outside of chicken as well. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, pour in olive oil. Saute the chicken on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Place chicken in oven either in skillet or in glass baking dish for 10-12 minutes. While chicken is cooking, in a medium saucepan pour wine, chicken stock and remaining lemon juice. Bring to boil, then simmer until sauce is reduced to 1/3. Remove chicken from oven, pour sauce over chicken then garnish with rosemary sprigs and capers.

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Makes about 30 meatballs

Meatballs
4 TBSP butter
1 small onion, chopped
2 slices day-old rye bread, crusts trimmed, torn into pieces
(about 1-1/2 cups)
2/3 cup beef stock or beef broth
1 egg
1/4 TSP ground allspice
1/4 TSP ground white pepper
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound ground veal

Sauce
2 TBSP all purpose wheat flour
1 1/3 cups beef stock or beef broth
2 TBSP whipping cream
Ground allspice

For meatballs:
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Combine bread and stock in large bowl. Mix in onion mixture, egg, allspice and pepper. Add ground beef and veal and blend well. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
Shape meat into 1 1/4-inch balls. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs and sauté until cooked through and brown, turning occasionally, about 20 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer meatballs to platter and keep warm. Reserve drippings in skillet.
For sauce:
Add flour to drippings in skillet and stir over medium heat until brown, about 4 minutes. Gradually whisk in stock and cream. Simmer until sauce is thick and smooth, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with allspice, salt and pepper. Pour sauce over meatballs and serve.

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