Bacon Makes It All Better

According to cookbook author Joanna Pruess, every dish can be made better by simply adding bacon. That's the basis of her newest book: "Seduced by Bacon: Recipes & Lore About America's Favorite Indulgence."

As The Saturday Early Show's Chef on a Shoestring, Pruess made a three-course meal for four on a budget of $40. And, as you might have guessed, each course will have bacon in a starring role.

For basic bacon with scrambled eggs, Pruess prefers to cook the bacon in the oven. She places strips on a jelly-roll pan in a preheated 400-degree oven for 11 to 16 minutes.

If you're making bacon ahead of time that you plan to re-heat, leave it slightly undercooked. This way, it won't dry out when you re-heat.

A cookbook author, Pruess also has written about food for such publications as the New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Washington Post, Food Arts, Saveur, Food & Wine, and the Associated Press. She has developed recipes for clients including Bella Cucina Artful Food, Bigelow Tea, Stonewall Kitchen, Sarabeth's Kitchen, More Than Gourmet, Dufour Pastry Kitchens, and Vanns Spices.

Joanna Pruess created and was the first director of the Cooking Studio, a cooking school within Kings Super Market in New Jersey, where she had more than 15,000 students over five years. Among the many classes she taught were specially created courses for students with visual or hearing impairments and for those with learning disabilities.

She is married to restaurant critic Bob Lape. They reside in the Bronx, N.Y.

RECIPES

Warm Baby Spinach Salad With Oranges, Red Onion, And Bacon

Ingredients
2 Navel oranges, washed
6 to -8 oz. baby spinach leaves, washed and dried
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
8 slices thick sliced bacon, cut cross-wise in 1-inch pieces
2-plus tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper

Method

1. Using a zester or sharp paring knife, remove the zest from the oranges, avoiding the white pith. If using a knife, cut the zest into thin strips. Set aside.
   
2. Pare away the pith from the oranges. Remove sections by cutting off a narrow slice at the top and bottom of each orange. Working over a strainer set over a bowl, cut along the membrane of one section and make another cut on the other side of the section, letting the sections fall into the strainer. Continue working until all sections are removed, and then squeeze the oranges to remove all the juice. You should have two tablespoons of juice. Put the oranges in a bowl with the spinach and onion slices.
   
3. Cook the bacon in a very large, deep skillet until crisp. Then remove and blot on paper towels. Discard all but four tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pan. Add olive oil if needed to make four tablespoons.
   
4. Pour the reserved orange juice, the balsamic vinegar and the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil into the skillet. Heat just until boiling, then add the spinach, orange segments, and onion slices to the pan to coat evenly with the warm dressing. Season to taste with the salt and plenty of black pepper. Divide the salad among the plates and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon, and serve warm.

For Chef on a Shoestring, we simply used purchased BBQ sauce. However, in her book, Pruess offers the following recipe for Chinese BBQ sauce" that you can use instead.

Ingredients:
For the Barbecue Sauce
2/3 cup Hoisin Sauce
1/2 cup medium sherry
1/2 light brown sugar
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons black bean paste
1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five spice powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
pinch red pepper flakes (optional)

For the Fish
1 Teaspoon oil
4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, cut about 1 inch wide, blotted on paper towels
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons purchased, or home-made barbecue sauce
6 slices lean bacon, cut cross-wise in half
thinly sliced scallions, including most of green parts to garnish

Method:

1. Make the barbecue sauce: Combine all ingredients in a double boiler and simmer until the mixture begins to thicken, about 10 to 12 minutes. Store the unused portion in a tightly sealed jar in the refrigerator
   
2. Broil the fish: Turn on the broiler, position the rack about four inches from the heat.
   
3. Heat the oil in a large, non-stick, ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Add the salmon, flesh side down, and sauté until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Turn, season the fish with salt and pepper to taste, spread the barbecue sauce over the flesh side, and drape three half slices of bacon diagonally over the top of each fillet.
   
4. Transfer the fish to the broiler and cook until the bacon is crisp and the salmon is just cooked through, about ten minutes for 1 inch thick salmon fillets. Remove, and sprinkle with scallions, and serve.

Ingredients
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1 1/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 egg yolks
1 cup chopped pecans
1 pound bacon, cooked until very crisp, blotted on paper towels, and finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)

Method:

1. Combine the cream, milk, and sugar in a heavy saucepan and cook over medium high heat until hot, and the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring occasionally.
   
2. In a small bowl beat the egg yolks until smooth. Slowly whisk in one cup of the hot cream-milk mixture. Return the yolk mixture to the saucepan beating constantly. Cook over medium heat, stirring continuously until the mixture coats the back of a wooden spoon, 6 to 8 minutes. Do not let boil.
   
3. Strain the mixture into a clean bowl and let it cool completely. Stir in pecans and bacon and freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions. To showcase the ice cream's flavor, before serving, remove from freezer and let it soften slightly.