Frisee with Hot Bacon Dressing

Frisee is a leafy green related to endive and chicory that has a slightly bitter flavor.  It's high is manganese and beta carotene, and it's super high in vitamin k.  I've long been a fan of its flavor, but not so much a fan of its texture, until I paired it with hot bacon dressing.  The heat of the dressing wilts and softens the frisee, and the sweet, tangy dressing compliments the bitter greens beautifully.  I hope you'll give this recipe a try.  Here's how it's made.

Start with frisee that has been washed, dried, and torn.  I was able to find both green and red frisee at my grocery store and I love the mix of colors so here I've put 6 ounces in a large bowl.

Next, I browned 6 ounces of thick bacon over medium heat.  I cut the bacon into bite-size pieces and cooked it, stirring frequently, until it was nice and toasty and most of the fat was rendered.  

Remove the cooked bacon from the rendered bacon fat (drippings); reserve the fat.

While the rendered fat is still hot, make the dressing.

Measure out some rendered bacon fat.  You probably won't use all the fat from the pan so pour the leftovers into a jar and store it in the fridge - we use it to saute vegetables, make eggs, etc.

Add red wine vinegar.  Oh how I love this stuff.

Add salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar.

Whisk everything together until the salt and sugar dissolve, then pour over the frisee and add the cooked bacon.  Toss well and serve immediately.

This salad is best served warm, so only make as much as you plan to serve in one sitting.  

Enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• my favorite measuring spoons https://amzn.to/2xUyAGL

• French whisk https://amzn.to/2Wnd9HM

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Frisee with Hot Bacon Dressing

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 ounces frisee, washed, dried, and torn

• 6 ounces thickly sliced bacon, cut into bite-size pieces

• 2 tablespoons hot rendered bacon fat

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Place frisee in a large bowl.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, brown bacon; remove from pan and reserve rendered fat.

3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together rendered bacon fat, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper; pour over frisee, add cooked bacon, toss well, and serve immediately.

Chocolate Truffles

Chocolate truffles are devilishly delicious and deceptively easy to make yourself.  Once you see how it's done, you'll never have to purchase them again.  Come on, I'll show you.

Start with really good chocolate.  We like dark chocolate, but feel free to use milk if you like that better.  Whichever you choose, be sure it's the good stuff - high quality makes all the difference here so don't skimp.  

Chop the chocolate.  I like to use a serrated blade like this one.  It makes very quick work of the job.

I have warm hands so I scoop the chocolate up with a bench scraper to transfer it to a bowl. 

And this is why it's called a bench scraper.  It scrapes up even the smallest bits of chocolate.  It's good for other things too - scooping cut vegetables off the cutting board, frosting the sides of a cake, cutting gnocchi, moving pie crusts, dividing bread dough, and so much more.  I like an all metal one with measurement markings and a handle that doesn't exceed the length of the flade - this one is my favorite.

I also wear disposable gloves to keep the mess to a minimum.  

Weigh the chocolate and place it in a heat-safe bowl.

I've got 8 ounces of chocolate today.

In a small saucepan with a heavy bottom, weigh the same amount of cream.  So that means the chocolate and cream will both weigh the same amount.

If you're trying to figure out how much truffle mixture you need to make, 1 ounce of the truffle mixture will make two tablespoon-size truffles.  Personally, I like them about half that size, but you do you.  

Gently heat the cream until its just about to boil.  You'll notice bubbles form around the sides of the pan.

Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let them sit, undisturbed, for several minutes.

Whisk until the chocolate and cream fully incorporate.  

Oops - this is what happens when you turn your back for a second and the whisk falls out of  your bowl.  Don't do that.

Strain the chocolate through a sieve to remove any unmelted bits.  Place the chocolate mixture in the fridge to chill for several hours.  If you want to cover the mixture, use a clean tea towel.  DO NOT cover the hot mixture with plastic - condensation will form on the plastic and if it drips into the chocolate mixture, the chocolate will most likely seize (turn into a lumpy, clumpy, irretrevable mess).  

I don't want those lumps of unmelted chocolate in our truffles, but that's how I roll.  Feel free to skip this step.

While the mixture chills, prepare the toppings you want to roll your truffles in.  I used to chop nuts on a cutting board, but that was before I discovered this handy gadget. 

I couldn't decide on one or two toppings so I chose flaked coconut, chopped nuts, unsweetened Dutch-processed cocoa powder, confectioner's sugar (10x), oreo crumbs, and rainbow sprinkles.  Variety is the spice of life!

When you're ready to roll, glove up and grab a portion scoop if you have one.  Like I said before, I like to make small truffles so this #100 scoop is just right.  If you don't have a scoop, use a spoon or melon baller.

Roll a lump of cold truffle mixture in the palm of your hands to form a ball.  The heat of your hands will melt the surface of the chocolate which will enable the toppings to stick.

First up, cocoa powder - that's what truffles are traditionally rolled in, but use whatever toppings you like.  Roll the truffles in the toppings and chill well.

Serve cold and enjoy!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• disposable food-safe gloves https://amzn.to/3rByZaa

• nut grinder https://amzn.to/3gOlf5X

• #100 scoop https://amzn.to/34k5roU

• footed cake plate https://amzn.to/3guFuFq

• sprinkles https://amzn.to/3uB1F4T

• digital scale https://amzn.to/3oxuFqo

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Chocolate Truffles

makes 32 truffles (about 1 tablespoon)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 8 ounces high quality chocolate, chopped

• 8 ounces heavy cream

• various toppings

Directions

1. Place chocolate in a heat-safe bowl.

2. In a heavy bottom saucepan, slowly heat cream until just before it boils.

3. Pour hot cream over chocolate; rest several minutes.

4. Whisk chocolate and cream together until completely incorporated; chill uncovered for several hours (or cover with a clean tea towel - do not cover with plastic).

5. Scoop chilled truffle mixture into desired portion size and roll into balls; immediately coat with toppings of your choice. Chill before serving.