Bacon heaven.

I think I have found my new signature dessert - a dessert that encompasses all that is good in the world: heavy cream, nutella, peanut butter and caramelized bacon. Do you hear the choir of angels? I do.

Many thanks to Gourmet for this wonderful recipe, which many reviewers classified as revolting. I must say, the bacon in the picture from Gourmet magazine looks a little too...raw. I'm sure it is candied, but the dark, crispy, glass-like texture with the bacon I cooked looked amazing compared to their photo. Within seconds of caramelization, I transferred the bacon to a plate where it cooled instantly and could easily be broken into small pieces. I decided to add small pieces to the top of the pie, instead of mixing it in with the filling, so it has the consistency and look of candied almonds.

I did not have chocolate wafers, so I bought a ready-made chocolate graham crust from the store. Here are the other substitutions:

- I divided the recipe in half to accommodate the dimensions of the pie shell.
- Replaced the smooth peanut butter and added peanuts with chunky peanut butter. (Why would you add peanuts to smooth peanut butter? Just use chunky peanut butter)
- I only used 2 slices of bacon.
- Added 2 tablespoons of nutella to the peanut butter mixture.

I love the combo of the sweet cream, nutella, salty peanut butter and the smoky flavor of bacon. Honesty, 7 slices would be a little too much, even for the large portion. Adding small bites of the bacon on the top is the way to go.

If the idea of sweet bacon is "revolting" to you, consider this a great frozen peanut butter pie recipe.

Peanut butter pie with candied bacon!?!?

Good grief. Ladies and gentlemen, I may have to stop by the grocery store to pick up a few items to create this pie. http://www.gourmet.com/recipes/2000s/2009/09/frozen-peanut-butter-pie-with-candied-bacon

I will also have to leave my car at work and walk the 30 minute drive home to burn the calories. Too bad I wore heels today.

Let's hope that I will have a report for you this evening, if not this week.

Yes, take Bourdain's recommendations - except from his Baltimore show.

Anthony Bourdain's rust-belt episode of "No Reservations" this season had Baltimore locals cringing more than seeing their street on "The Wire." Pit Beef, lake trout, Mo's Seafood, hangin' with "Snoop" on North Avenue? Come on, Bourdain. Don't limit your culinary adventures based on the eats of one show; add "Homicide: life on the streets" spots to your journey, sheesh.

The episode did remind me of a local pit beef place that I used to love. So, during a recent sick day, I convinced my boyfriend to drive me to the place for a turkey/pit beef sandwich topped with tiger sauce (horseradish and mayo) and onions. Certainly that will help to clear my sinuses? Onion rings never hurt, either.

I was singing the praises of this place all day, The Charcoal Grill - saying that it was the best in the city with the juiciest meat, fresh toppings and great sauces. (No worries, friends. We did not drive to the pit beef restaurant featured on "No Reservations." That one is located next to the Gentlemen's Gold Club, in a very shady area of the city.) Anyway, after ordering and waiting impatiently in the car ride home with a grease bag leaking on my lap, we were anything but impressed. The onion rings were great, but they added horseradish, not tiger sauce, to my sandwich. Quick fix, I thought. And some mayo and we're good to go. Nope. Which item was left unmarked on the grocery list? You guessed it - mayo. Good job, Jen.

BBQ sauce substituted for today, but the meat was awful. It was dry and lacked any charcoal flavor. The bun was dry as well, which made the sandwich taste like, well...a SANDwich. The meal was so awful that we packed up for the local Friendly's and had some ice cream. Certainly that will help with my sore throat? Reese's Pieces never hurt, either.

Healthy pancakes??

I love to retain the flavor and cut the saturated fat and cholesterol in recipes by adding olive oil as a substitute for butter. You can only imagine how excited I was when I found a recipe for olive oil pancakes the other day. Check it out: http://www.delish.com/recipefinder/olive-oil-pancakes-recipe


I made a few substitutes and additions to the recipe:
- King Arthur whole wheat flour
- orange zest (1/2 of a large orange)
- 1% milk instead of buttermilk (alas, the shelf-life is nonexistent)
- maple syrup instead of honey

The pancakes were amazing! The olive oil makes the edges crispy and brown and the whole wheat flour prevents the batter from becoming too runny, so they did not look like ink blot tests. They were fantastic. Light, fluffy, crispy and not too sweet. Perfect.

Farewell, Summer. Cheers!

I will truly miss my favorite summer cocktail until 2010: the Pimm's cup. Pimm's is an English spirit that is traditionally served with either ginger beer or lemonade and fruit. My favorite version is served in a tall glass with ice, a shot of Pimm's and ginger beer. To fulfill my, "salad-a-day" mentality, I add strawberries, cucumber and orange. Consider it an English version of sangria.

I will enjoy another one this evening before the weather gets a little too cold, but I'm sure the bottle will sneak out of the fridge a few times this winter.

Bienvenue!

Welcome to my world of culinary delights and fine living - brought to you from the land of pleasant living in Baltimore, MD. Take a seat, pour yourself some vino, and let's discuss all things food from near and far.