3006. BACON TOMATO BISQUE

serves 4-6


6 strips bacon, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup flour
28 oz can diced tomatoes
1.5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 cup finely grated cheddar cheese (optional)

salt, to taste

Heat up a big soup pot over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a paper towel, but leave the bacon fat in the pan and add the butter. Add the onion and celery and cook for 5 minutes over medium heat.

Add the flour and cook, stirring frequently for 3 minutes.

Add the diced tomatoes,chicken stock, bay leaf, black pepper, and sugar. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 30 minutes, giving the bottom of the pan a good scrape every 5 minutes (since there's flour in here and that will want to burn).

Add the heavy cream to cool the soup slightly, remove the bay let, then blend up all of the soup in small batches (be careful when blending hot liquids, if you add too much to the blender it might explode). Strain the blended soup through a fine meshed sieve, and return the strained liquid to a pot set over medium heat. Add the cheddar, if using, heat until warmed, then make any necessary salt adjustments, to taste. Serve with the crumbled bacon on top.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Joanne Ozug, Fifteen Spatulas, June 11, 2012

2712. CROCKPOT ONION BACON BISQUE with GOAT CHEESE

5 large Maui sweet onions; slice four, mince one
1/2 loaf day-old French bread
1 head of garlic, minced
1/2 lb. of artichoke roots, peeled and minced
2 whole shallots, minced
2 quarts chicken broth
1/2 cup sherry
1/2 lb. bacon
3-4 sprigs sage
5 sprigs thyme
3-4 sprigs rosemary
1-2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 bay leaves
2 - 2 1/2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons hot Mexican chili powder
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon Lawry's seasoned salt
1 tablespoon paprika
4 oz. goat cheese

Heat crockpot to high. Add 5 slices of bacon. Cook about 20-25 minutes until they’ve release most of their fat and are starting to crisp. Remove bacon. Add all the onions. Add olive oil. Stir until all the onions are coated with oil and bacon fat. Let cook down for about 5-10 minutes. Add the Sherry. Cook 10 minutes. Add the shallots, artichoke roots, and minced garlic (I recommend mincing them all in a food processor). Sprinkle with salt. Cook 30 minutes until it’s all browned slightly. Add both quarts of chicken broth. In a food processor combine the thyme, rosemary, and sage, with 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar. Process until you have an herb paste. Add the herb paste to the crockpot. Turn heat to low. Cook overnight.

Taste it in the morning, it should be a nice base, but lacking salt, pepper, and other seasonings. Added 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar. Add paprika, seasoned salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and chili powder. Stir until combined. Add about 1 1/2 – 2 cups of chopped up day old French bread. Using an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the soup until smoothed. Bring a small pan to medium-high heat. Add 3 slices of bacon. When you flip them(around 4 minutes), turn the heat to medium. Chop up another garlic clove or two and add them to the bacon. Stir until the bacon’s your level of crunchy. Set aside the bacon and pour the garlic/bacon fat into the soup. Stir until combined, and immersion blend until smooth unless you like garlic chunks. Pour out a bowl of soup. Add 2 teaspoons goat cheese (crumbled). Chop up the bacon. Add 1 slice of bacon per bowl on top of the goat cheese. Slice a piece of the day old French bread per bowl, and enjoy!


bacon recipe courtesy of: Nicholas Kern, Eating in Bed, January 30, 2012

2660. MUSHROOM and BACON BISQUE with BEER FOAM

2 cups dried chanterelle mushrooms, soaked for 30 minutes in hot water, liquid reserved

1 1/2 cups duck stock (recipe below)
2 tablespoons unsalted cultured butter

2-3 tablespoons bacon fat (from 2 strips thick cut cured bacon, reserve bacon)

3-4 shallots
1 cup heavy cream



For duck stock
1 duck leg and thigh bone
reserved liquid from chanterelle mushrooms
5 cloves garlic, whole, skin on
3 shallots, peeled and left whole
salt, to taste

2-4 cups water



For beer foam

1 teaspoon of Soy Lecithin
250 ml beer

Pour mushroom liquid and 2 cups water over bone from duck leg and add the garlic cloves and shallots. Cook on low heat for an hour, adding water as the water evaporates and reduces. Taste the broth at the end of the hour and cook longer until you've reached your desired taste. Add salt at the end. Strain through cheesecloth.


For Mushroom Bisque: Add butter and bacon fat to medium hot pan, once butter is melted add diced shallots and stir until shallots become fragrant. Add soaked chanterell mushrooms and stir until most of the butter and bacon fat has been soaked up by the mushrooms. Add duck mushroom stock. Simmer for a good 15 minutes. Add the cream and remove from heat. Taste soup and add salt to taste. Blend in high powered blender until smooth.



For beer foam: Heat beer in small saucepan for about 5 minutes to cook off some of the alcohol. Blend Lecithin and Beer in tall glass until foamy.



To plate, spoon bisque in to small bowl, top with beer foam and crumbled bacon pieces.


bacon recipe courtesy of: EAT. Your Best Friends, December 21, 2009

2611. CAULIFLOWER, CHEDDAR and APPLEWOOD-SMOKED BACON BISQUE

yields ten servings

5 slices applewood-smoked bacon, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

4 ribs celery, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 heads cauliflower, cut up into small flowerets

6 cups low sodium chicken broth

3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, cut into 1" cubes

1 cup half-and-half, fat free

salt and white pepper, to taste

truffle oil, for garnish

Saute bacon in large, heavy saucepan over medium heat until browned. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Cover and sweat vegetables until soft, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Add cauliflower, chicken broth and cheese and stir to loosen up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until cauliflower is tenderuntil , about 30 minutes. Let cool about 20 minutes.

Puree soup in batches in blender, returning to same saucepan. Add half and half and bring soup to a simmer over medium low heat. If soup is too thick, thin with more chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with truffle oil for a garnish.

bacon recipe courtesy of: primethyme (member), BakeSpace.com

1939. BLACK BEAN BISQUE with BACON and ROCK SHRIMP ESCABECHE

makes 8 servings


1/2 pound smoked bacon, chopped
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1 pound dried black beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tomatoes, quartered
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Rock Shrimp Escabèche (recipe below)

Cook bacon in a large Dutch oven until crisp. Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings in pan; drain bacon on paper towels, and reserve for another use. Add onion, celery, and carrot, and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add 2 1/2 quarts water, black beans, and next 4 ingredients, and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium, and cook at a brisk simmer, skimming any foam, 1 1/2 hours or until beans are tender. Add salt and vinegar during last 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in cream. Puree using an immersion blender. Top each serving with a spoonful of Rock Shrimp Escabèche:

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound rock shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 poblano chile peppers, cut into strips
2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
4 garlic cloves, pressed
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup sherry vinegar

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat; add shrimp, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Place in a bowl, and cover with a paper towel.

Add remaining oil, onion, and next 3 ingredients to skillet, and sauté 2 to 3 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in bay leaves and next 5 ingredients. Slowly bring to a boil, and simmer 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Pour mixture over shrimp. Cover and chill 2 hours or overnight. Discard bay leaves before serving.


bacon recipe courtesy of: Rolando Cruz-Taura, Coastal Living, March 2009

1222. BACON and LEEK POTATO BISQUE

8 slices bacon
2 leeks, sliced
1 lb. butter
1 cup flour
1 quart water
1 tablespoon chicken stock or 2-3 bouillon cubes
4 small potatoes, peeled and diced
1 pint heavy cream
salt to taste
white pepper to taste
dash of nutmeg

Saute bacon and leeks in a stockpot. Pour off half the bacon grease, and add butter until butter melts. Add flour, and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in water, chicken base, potatoes, and cream. Add salt, white pepper, and nutmeg to taste. bake at 325F until potatoes are tender. Remove from oven, and cool slightly. Puree mixture until smooth.


courtesy of: Food Down Under Recipe Database