 |
| The patron saint of Bacon Christmas |
So last year we were invited to
participate in a new holiday celebrated by my brother and sister-in-law called
Bacon Christmas. Yes, I’m saying that there is something bacon that I didn’t
create, I only got to bore witness to, but I was very thankful that I did. From
the Bacon bearded, eye-patched, Bob Dole Whiskey offering to the two pounds of
bacon-covered turkey, to the Corned-beef stuffing, it was a holiday celebration
of excess and awesomeness.
 |
| Maple Bacon Cheesecake |
Bacon Christmas was all about food
(bacon), strong drink, friendship and Rock Band; lots and lots of wig wearing,
heavily caped Rock Band. But at its core this new holiday was an excuse for
friends to get together and celebrate the holiday season, something that is
lost on the more commercial holidays (no Bacon Christmas Hallmark Cards yet to
my knowledge). As I said, last year Jaclyn and I attended our very first Bacon
Christmas celebration and we brought some offerings to lift up to the bacon
gods both made and purchased. Our contributions were Chocolate Topped Peanut Butter Bacon Bars
and Maple Bacon Cupcakes (made) and several items from ThinkGeek like Bacon Frosting, Bacon Gravy, and Bacon Mayonnaise. Everything went over well and I
was happy with both the day and the chance to bake some crazy creations. But
Bacon Christmas 2011 happened quickly and then was gone, leaving me to count
down the days until the next Bacon Christmas, and a whole year to plan a
festive bacon dish. Well, 2012 turned out to be a pretty big year for me, a lot
bigger than originally planned. Some of it you can read about on here, some of
it was left unwritten. Why unwritten you ask? Simple. Something, or more like a someone,
entered my life this year and his coming changed everything. I’m referring to
my son Xavier, who was conceived back in February (that’s right we went to PAXEast pregnant) and was born Thursday the 22nd a Thanksgiving
miracle! My original bet was he was going to be born on Bacon Christmas,
traditionally celebrated the Friday after Thanksgiving and if this was ThePrice is Right I think I was the closest bidder without going over. My little
turkey meant some plans were shifted. Jaclyn and I were a little busy (happily)
on Bacon Christmas 2012 so the shadow of ol’ Bob Dole didn’t grace us with his
presence. Maybe it was because we didn’t have time to leave him out a whiskey
shot? Either way, Bacon Christmas 2012 came and went and I never had time to
make this year’s creation: a Maple Bacon Cheesecake.
 |
| Xavier my little Thanksgiving Turkey |
Now X, if you’re reading
this, first I’m impressed because you’re only a baby and second, wait, before
we get to that, how are you on a computer and were is your mom or I? Probably
finally passed out, huh? Anyway, back to second, Daddy’s not mad he missed
Bacon Christmas, he was very happy to spend the day with you and looks forward
to baking with you in the future, that’s not what this post is about. This post
is about that Maple Bacon Cheesecake. You see X, you did finally take a little
bit of a nap (sort of) which gave Dad time to make a delicious cheesecake that
even though it wasn’t to celebrate Bacon Christmas it still came out great. And
now I’m going to stop being so long winded and tell the nice people reading
this just how I made it, ok?
Maple Bacon Cheese Cake
Ingredients
Crust*:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter
Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup of heavy cream
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Topping:
1 Pound of Bacon
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
For crust:
In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Add
melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.
For filling:
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add maple syrup, eggs, egg
yolk, heavy cream, and sugar. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together until well
combined.
Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1
hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap
and refrigerate for 4 hours.
For topping:
You can either prepare the bacon at the same time as the
cheesecake and refrigerate it or wait until just before you serve the
cheesecake.
Preheat Oven to 400 degree F.
Lay bacon in a cookie sheet or baking pan lined with
aluminum foil, unless using a stone pan, then you can skip the foil. Leave a
small gap between each slice of bacon to prevent the bacon from sticking to
each other. Coat each strip of bacon with about two teaspoons of brown sugar or
until your liking.
Once every strip is dusted with brown sugar drizzle maple
syrup on the bacon strips.
Once bacon is coated with brown sugar and maple syrup place
baking pan in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes depending on your oven.
When the bacon is fully cooked remove from the oven and let
cool on wire racks.
Once bacon is cooled it will have a semi-hard candy shell to
it that will let you know your bacon is ready.
Now take those strips of bacon and either chop them into
bite size pieces or put them through a food processor and you’ll be ready to
add them to the top of your cheesecake.
Place the bacon on top of the cheesecake and use the
remaining maple syrup to garnish.
*This crust recipe was taken from Paula Deen
MMMMMMMMMMM :0)
ReplyDelete