SALT FIRE WATER with Jacobsen Salt Co and Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan

June 26, 2015 by 5 Comments

Ben Jacobsen has a big heart that wants to share deliciousness with anyone he can. First, he created the incredible finishing salts that are the products Jacobsen Salt Co  and which elevate food all over the world. He brought artisan salt to the attention of the US chefs and American consumers. For that, we already owe him a great debt. Once you taste the hand harvested pure flake sea salt from the Oregon Coast, and all the possible flavors infused in salt, you can never look back.
The incredible finishing salts that are the products of Ben Jacobsen and Jacobsen Salt Co and which elevate food all over the world. The incredible finishing salts that are the products of Ben Jacobsen and Jacobsen Salt Co and which elevate food all over the world. The incredible finishing salts that are the products of Ben Jacobsen and Jacobsen Salt Co and which elevate food all over the world. The incredible finishing salts that are the products of Ben Jacobsen and Jacobsen Salt Co and which elevate food all over the world.

It’s like that point in your childhood that you step up from American cheese to real cheese. Suddenly, this whole world you can’t believe you were missing out on has been opened up to you, full of so much possibility. Thank goodness he had the patience and fortitude to work through the messy experimental two years to figure out how to harvest salt (the first since Lewis and Clark to harvest it in the Northwest in the 1800s!) and sampling up and down the coast to find the best sea area (Netarts Bay).

Now probably the most famous artisan salt producer in the United States, Ben didn’t stop there. With the old original salt trailer, he dreamed of salvaging it to create a communal table that people would gather warmly like a family to celebrate good food, good drink, and community. Partnering with Williams-Sonoma Open Kitchen (who believed in his salts to bring it from a Northwest secret to a national offering) and with Ingredient Sponsor New Seasons Market (they were the first to turn his hobby into a business by ordering his salt), thus was born the Jacobsen Salt Co.’s SALT FIRE WATER series. The original pallet is indeed part of the table we gather at (it’s the lighter brown wood in the middle below).
The dining table inside Jacobsen Salt Co. headquarters for the Salt Fire Water dinner series. The middle light brown portion is the original old original salt trailer he used when he first started. Ben Jacobsen dreamed of salvaging it to create a communal table that people would gather warmly like a family and enjoy incredible food - thus the Salt Fire Water dinner series The dining table inside Jacobsen Salt Co. headquarters for the Salt Fire Water dinner series. The middle light brown portion is the original old original salt trailer he used when he first started. Ben Jacobsen dreamed of salvaging it to create a communal table that people would gather warmly like a family and enjoy incredible food - thus the Salt Fire Water dinner series

I attended the third dinner of the 2015 series, which once again paired a Visiting Chef from another city with a local Portland Chef. The first dinner in April featured Chefs Nick Balla and Cortney Burns of Bar Tartine  San Francisco + local Chefs Greg and Gabi Denton of Ox to work together to create a shared experience while still maintaining their distinctive food perspectives – similar to what this third dinner was.  Then the second one in May was a PDX locals collaboration with Chef Jaret Foster of Foster’s Craft Cooking and Chef Kristen Murray of MÅURICE. They joined forces to create a Calcotada Dinner – a Catalonian celebration of the Calcot, a very special variety of onion that is fire-roasted, dipped in romesco sauce and eaten with one’s hands. You can see more incredible photos of this dinner experience at fellow blogger Aubrie at Portland Oregon Food Photographer , and Meredith blogging at Martha Chartreuse.

My dinner brought together Ivan Orkin of Ivan Ramen of New York and Japan  (his first time in Portland! Come back again please!) and the man behind the hard to get into (reservations are out at November) worst kept “secret” restaurant in Portland, Earl Nissom of Lang Baan.
The table setting for the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented Williams Sonoma and New Seasons The table setting for the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented Williams Sonoma and New Seasons

Wines were poured from Brooks Winery throughout the evening.
Wines provided by Brooks Winery for the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons Wines provided by Brooks Winery for the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons Wines provided by Brooks Winery for the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons

And now, the recap of the Salt Fire Water dinner with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan:
The menu for the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons Wines provided by Brooks Winery for the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons

First course

We started with a First course of passed hors d’oeuvres while all the guests trickled in and mingled together.
The mingling of guests while enjoying a glass of Brooks Winery white during the First course of passed hors d'oeuvres at the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan The mingling of guests while enjoying a glass of Brooks Winery white during the First course of passed hors d'oeuvres at the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan The mingling of guests while enjoying a glass of Brooks Winery white during the First course of passed hors d'oeuvres at the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan The mingling of guests while enjoying a glass of Brooks Winery white during the First course of passed hors d'oeuvres at the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan

Those Bites included this Braised Beef Tongue with Dashi + Beef Broth and Scallion by Ivan Ramen. This is a house specialty that he serves at the Ivan Ramen location dinner menu at 25 Clinton in New York, and for this event he served it in shot glasses. It’s probably a lot more convenient to eat in a bowl then as an appetizer like this as I tried to shake the beef from the bottom.
Braised Beef Tongue with Dashi + Beef Broth and Scallion by Ivan Ramen for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons Braised Beef Tongue with Dashi + Beef Broth and Scallion by Ivan Ramen for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons

The Daikon XO with Dried Shrimp and Scallop Chili Oil by Ivan Ramen is also available as a starter at the Ivan Ramen location for both lunch and dinner – you should definitely keep that in mind if you visit NY because I probably could have enjoyed a dozen spoons of these.
Daikon XO with Dried Shrimp and Scallop Chili Oil by Ivan Ramen for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons Daikon XO with Dried Shrimp and Scallop Chili Oil by Ivan Ramen for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons

Lang Baan’s Earl Nissom’s spoon was Sweet Sticky Rice with Sun-dried Mud Fish, Fried Shallot, Kaffir Lime. This is a prefect representation of Thai food with it’s balance of bold flavors of salty, sweet, savory, sour, a little funky… all together in one bite.
Sweet Sticky Rice with Sun-dried Mud Fish, Fried Shallot, Kaffir Lime by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons Sweet Sticky Rice with Sun-dried Mud Fish, Fried Shallot, Kaffir Lime by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons

Next from Lang Baan was Salt-baked Red Tilapia with Rice Noodles, Little Gem Lettuces and Dill.
Salt-baked Red Tilapia with Rice Noodles, Little Gem Lettuces and Dill by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons Salt-baked Red Tilapia with Rice Noodles, Little Gem Lettuces and Dill by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons

My favorite of the three offerings from Lang Baan though were these spicy Northern Thai Lamb Tartare with Avocado and Belgian Endive, though maybe my bias towards spicy food and particularly Northern Thai food is influencing me with this choice.
Northern Thai Lamb Tartare with Avocado and Belgian Endive by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons Northern Thai Lamb Tartare with Avocado and Belgian Endive by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons

Second course

Matthew Domingo, our Master of Dinner I’ll call him, gently herded us to the tables for the next four courses. You can see Ben Jacobsen and Ivan Orkin surveying the guests by that entrance to the William Sonoma Open Kitchen, perhaps talking about future plans for another get together of deliciousness…?
The mingling of guests while enjoying a glass of Brooks Winery white during the First course of passed hors d'oeuvres at the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan - you can see Ben Jacobsen and Ivan Orkin surveying the guests enjoying the First Course right there by the entrance to the William Sonoma Open kitchen.

As we were seated, Brooks Winery’s Runaway Red was poured.
Wines provided by Brooks Winery (here Runaway Red) for the Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, presented by Williams Sonoma and New Seasons Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, moving on to the seated courses as Brooks Winery Runaway Red is poured Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan, moving on to the seated courses as Brooks Winery Runaway Red is poured

The Second course was by Ivan Ramen, and was a dish of incredible Mushrooms Casino with King Oyster Mushrooms, Baby Clams, Bacon, and Crispy Panko. I even liked the fact that we were eating these with the chopsticks as it forced us to really taste the components slowly rather than just shoveling it all in with a spoon like a food drug. Thankfully I or you can get the fix on again at Ivan Ramen’s dinner menu in NY.

Third course

For the Third course, Lang Baan was passed the baton and served a dish of Bee Local Smoked Honey Duck Curry with Cherry Tomato, Potatoes, Onion, Basil, Shallot and Coconut Rice. The Duck was sooo tender and smoky, the curry was a mix of peanut and spiciness that leaned on the side of a massamun mashed up but with deeper savoryness and heat like a red curry that could be calmed by the sweetness of the coconut rice.
Third course of Bee Local Smoked Honey Duck Curry with Cherry Tomato, Potatoes, Onion, Basil, Shallot and Coconut Rice by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan Third course of Bee Local Smoked Honey Duck Curry with Cherry Tomato, Potatoes, Onion, Basil, Shallot and Coconut Rice by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan Third course of Bee Local Smoked Honey Duck Curry with Cherry Tomato, Potatoes, Onion, Basil, Shallot and Coconut Rice by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan

Fourth course

The baton is back to Ivan Ramen, who presented a cold ramen (available at both Ivan Ramen and Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop in New York) in the form of Cold Lemon Shio Dashi Ramen with roasted tomato, Jacobsen Sea Salt, Toasted Rye Noodle, Dungeness Crab, and Scallion Oil.
Fourth course of Cold Lemon Shio Dashi Ramen with roasted tomato, Jacobsen Sea Salt, Toasted Rye Noodle, Dungeness Crab, and Scallion Oil by Ivan Ramen for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan Fourth course of Cold Lemon Shio Dashi Ramen with roasted tomato, Jacobsen Sea Salt, Toasted Rye Noodle, Dungeness Crab, and Scallion Oil by Ivan Ramen for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan

Fifth course

I know many of us were wondering about the dessert listed, as it seemed like a really bizarre combination. Well, trust in Lang Baan and Earl Nissom to show us that Coconut Ice Cream with Corn Salad, Jacobsen Vanilla Salt, Purple Rice, Strawberry, Peanut, and Jackfruit is a perfect combination of textures and a worthy dessert for such a memorable meal.
Fifth course of Coconut Ice Cream with Corn Salad, Jacbosen Vanilla Salt, Purple Rice, Strawberry, Peanut, and Jackfruit by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan Fifth course of Coconut Ice Cream with Corn Salad, Jacbosen Vanilla Salt, Purple Rice, Strawberry, Peanut, and Jackfruit by Lang Baan for Jacobsen Salt Co Salt Fire Water dinner #3 with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan

For more photos, check out the Williams Sonoma blog entry for #SaltFireWater Dinner with Ivan Ramen + Lang Baan or search the hashtag #SaltFireWater on Instagram!

To sign up for future SALT FIRE WATER Feasts – click to the Jacobsen Salt Co Eventbrite Ticket site. The next one is a bargain I think on July 12 – “Eclade de Moules” – a French tradition of roasting fresh mussels with pine boughs and then eating then with one’s hands that will take place just outside the Jacobsen Salt Co. Headquarters at 602 SE Salmon St.

The $55 includes a wine happy hour, the feasting with the roasted fresh mussels, and then going inside for a communal buffet featuring Foster’s Craft Cooking as well as live music, a photo booth, and Oregon craft beer & wine.  There will be two seatings, and tickets to the experience are limited to 100 people.

Menu details include

  • Fire-roasted mussels with good olive oil, Jacobsen sea salt and Ken’s Artisan Bread
  • Summer’s Ratatouille Gratin
  • Pissaladiere
  • Northwest Nicoise Salad
  • Cherry Clafouti

If the Calcotado dinner looked amazeballs to you, here’s you second chance for a similar experience!

What do you think of the dishes by Ivan and Earl – what do you think would have been your favorite?

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Spaghetti Carbonara

June 28, 2013 by 4 Comments

Since I grew up in a family that didn’t like cheese, it wasn’t until I went to college that I discovered how awesome just plain pasta with butter and Parmesan cheese is. It is my go to meal in an emergency when I need to fill my tummy quickly. By emergency, you can surmise I usually mean when my mental and physical state is more poor than usual, my tummy feels upset, often after some consumption of lots of liquids with some sort of alcohol component. Perhaps you can surmise that anyway.

I also learned in college from others that sprinkling cheese from a salad bar on top of hot rice is more than workable too (what!!?? People put rice and cheese together!??), and this made me even lazier than my previous ways which used to be fried rice or plain jasmine rice with Maggi Seasoning Sauce. I use a rice cooker, and so the upside of that is that instead of having to watch a pot of water boil (which inevitably will boil over, alerting me that it is now time to put in the pasta), I can just really stick the rice and water in and walk away until I hear the click from the rice cooker that it’s done.

But college days and those early 20s are over. Ok, so I still eat those things (in particular, fried rice is a great way to use old rice from takeout or dining out). And sometimes out of laziness hot rice with a sprinkle of cheese is easier and faster in a pinch than making mac and cheese, although it probably will make most Asians shudder.

Sometimes, I try to get a bit gourmet. By that, I mean I think making spaghetti carbonara is a nicely refined backup when I am making a meal alone but am not so desperate for comfort in my stomach/dizzy that I can’t crack an egg and crumble some crispy bacon, all serving 1. The fact that I throw in a vegetable (even if they start from frozen peas) also makes me feel like “hey, I’m an adult. There’s a vegetable in there. It’s more sophisticated, see.”

Extra Note: Whenever I buy bacon, I will use a few strips fresh (or whatever my recipe calls for) and freeze the rest. My tip for freezing bacon is that I always freeze each piece individually in the saran wrap by folding them accordion style, just like you do when you make those creases for paper fans. That way, when I only need a couple pieces, I don’t have to break them off a huge slab of frozen bacon. I also always save the bacon juice- though in this case you will be using it right away as part of the recipe.

What’s your favorite comfort / sober up food?

Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, peas, parmesan, egg

Ingredients (serves 1):

  • 1/2 box of spaghetti
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 2 slices of bacon
  • 1/2 cup of chopped onion
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 1 cup of cooked peas (I steamed mine in the microwave)
  • Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. Bring a pot of salted water to boil and cook spaghetti pasta until al dente. Drain well. Toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil.
  2. While the water is boiling, cook chopped bacon until crisp on a skillet. Remove the bacon and drain onto paper towels. Save the bacon fat in that skillet!
  3. While the water is boiling, I also beat the egg. Add the cheese and nutmeg, and beat it again. Set aside for later.
  4. Reuse that skillet to now cook the chopped onion until it is caramelized and translucent. Add minced garlic, and cook few minutes more. If you want, you can throw in other ingredients to your taste, such as peas, mushrooms, cream or splash of white wine… but will you be tempted to keep that wine out to eat with your pasta is a potential problem / opportunity :X
  5. Now to that pan, add the drained spaghetti. Toss to coat and heat through. Remove the skillet from heat and add beaten eggs and toss quickly all throughout the pasta until the eggs are barely set. Finally, crumble the bacon in, add the cooked peas, and toss again. Add some ground pepper to taste.

Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, peas, parmesan, egg Spaghetti Carbonara with bacon, peas, parmesan, egg

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Breakfasts and a Lunch in Seattle

May 10, 2013 by 2 Comments

A few more meals in Seattle… I want to wrap this up and move back to reporting Food Adventures in Portland!

Breakfasts in Seattle

Here, options from the always reliable Serious Biscuit. Here, you see the Serious Biscuit Zach – fried chicken, tabasco black pepper gravy, bacon, egg sandwich and also the Serious Biscuit crispy hamhock, collard greens with smoked onions breakfast sandwich.

Serious Biscuit Zach fried chicken, tabasco black pepper gravy, bacon, egg, breakfast sandwich Serious Biscuit Zach fried chicken, tabasco black pepper gravy, bacon, egg, breakfast sandwich Serious Biscuit crispy hamhock, collard greens with smoked onions biscuit sandwich Serious Biscuit crispy hamhock, collard greens with smoked onions biscuit sandwich Serious Biscuit crispy hamhock, collard greens with smoked onions biscuit sandwich

Another breakfast choice is Portage Bay Cafe with its local and sustainable food. There, my friend had the Verde Pork omelette with tomatillo-braised Carlton Farms pork, roasted jalapeño, queso fresco, salsa verde garnish. I had the incredible Migas, a flour tortilla stuffed with three chipotle-cumin scrambled eggs, Tillamook medium and sharp white cheddar, fresh basil, homemade salsa and sour cream. Served with fresh avocado salsa, and roasted potatoes, and I added the homemade chorizo sausage, it was so full of flavor that even though I told myself to only eat some and save myself for more meals later, I could not help but eat it all. The Verde Pork omelette was also good in a more subtle way with the braised pork, while mine was a wake up call with the chorizo sausage- your call.
Portage Bay Cafe local sustainable breakfast Seattle Portage Bay Cafe Verde Pork Omelette breakfast Seattle Portage Bay Cafe Verde Pork Omelette breakfast Seattle Portage Bay Cafe Migas breakfast Seattle Portage Bay Cafe Migas breakfast Seattle Portage Bay Cafe Migas breakfast Seattle

Lunch

For lunch one day, we took a short 15 minute walk from the office to Baguette Box, where I was introduced to the Baguette Box Crispy Drunken Chicken Sandwich (really just a very creative banh mi). Crispy sweet with a bit of tang and jalapeno bite savory goodness in each of those chicken bites, nestled in a doughy with the right amount of crunchy outside bread vehicle (though also offered in a salad version)! Not pictured- the truffle fries basket which we completely emptied.
Baguette Box Crispy Drunken Chicken Sandwich Seattle

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Bloody Mary Bar Planning

April 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

I'm throwing a Brunchy Lunchy birthday party for my birthday at the end of the month this year! Part of the menu I plan include

For the brunchy, I'm thinking

  • Bacon Bloody Mary bar
  • a make your own quiche/mini-pie station
  • a veggie hash brown casserole
  • Emeril's breakfast casserole (has sausage and eggs)

For the lunchy, I'm thinking

  • wine and beer
  • stuffed pasta shells with homemade ricotta in marinara
  • french "cheese"/tofutti dip and bread,
  • chicken meatballs and veggie meatballs
  • vegetable tray

Friendly to carnivores and herbivores!

In this post, I'm going to cover what I think are the key things for the Bloody Mary Bar:

The ingredients to have (proceeding forward from left to right or wherever the line starts):

  1. Glasses with the option to rim them using a small saucer that has lime juice and kosher salt. I picked out compostable cups that are clear because I won't have enough glasses for my current count of RSVPd guests, which also have the advantage of leaving out a sharpie marker for guests to mark their cup.

  2. Ice! Don't forget the ice!

  3. A few shot glasses and at least two types of vodka: I like to use regular and also a flavored vodka like smokey Bakon Vodka or spicy New Deal Hot Monkey- for this occasion Bakon. Leave the vodka in the freezer at least overnight to make sure they are nice and cold and don't water down your drink with a lot of ice.

  4. Base of regular tomato juice, and I also like V8, partially to increase my perception that this is healthy. I know some people also use Clamato, but since I have to possibly deal with the leftovers, I wasn't planning on offering it- bring your own, sorry!

  5. The standard liquid additions of hot sauces: the hot sauces of my house include traditional Cholula, chipotle pepper Tabasco, and Sriracha. I also like to offer BBQ sauce for those who want to go smoky or sweet instead of spicy (or in addition to!). And of course, there will be Worcestershire sauce, and wedges of lemon for squeezin.

  6. What really makes a DIY bloody mary bar fun are the accompaniments. Of course the standard celery stalks will be ready standing in a nice iced glass for stirring your drink. And, this being Portland, there's all sorts of pickled garnishes to choose from- little gherkins, pickled green beans, pickled beets, pickled carrots, pickled onions, etc. for your toothpick. The sea salt and fresh ground pepper grinders, and bbq shaker seasoning, appears at this end of the bar as well.

  7. Bacon! This is the star of the bloody mary bar. Soak some skewers in water, and then put a slice of thick cut bacon on each one and then into the oven at 350 degrees until done. For the bacon, you can additionally treat it by coating it with brown sugar and pepper to caramelize it.

I wanted to put you in the mood, so here are some archived photos of some bloody marys of my past… varying from Sarabeth's in New York (last bloody mary I photographed), Sepia (most bacon) and Fireside (my first bloody mary bar) in Chicago to Simpatica (best mix I've had in Portland) and Tasty N Sons (best pickles and kick) in Portland.

 

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Bacon Takedown: Sty Wars! Chewbaccon and Ham Solo

May 23, 2011 by Leave a Comment

One of my friends sent me a link about a Bacon Takedown.

On a whim, I emailed the organizer because the website said that it was an amateur's competition and they had various prizes, and just for competing you got 15 pounds of Hormel Black Label bacon. I thought I would make the bacon potato cheese pie (the pie I made for my Bacon Party last month). I had to switch from the bacon pie because I had to make enough for 250 tastes- which would be too much work. The next thing you know, I'm making 11 batches of Bacon Rice Krispies (after a 1.5 batch two days before to test baconizing Rice Krispies) and the whole house smells like 12 pounds of bacon.

What 14 lbs of bacon looks like in the fridge

After playing with a few different team names, we fell into "Chewbaccon" and the Team "Sty Wars! Chewbaccon and Ham Solo" were soon on its way with a theme. Thanks to Free Icons Download.com artist for helping to populate the characters on our station… and Miss Melly for this awesomeness which I will forever treasure also on a T shirt and an apron

We didn't win any prizes- the team that won People's Choice took home the giant check for People's Choice… as well as a year's supply of bacon and cookware. Part of me just wants a giant check, forget the year's supply of bacon. They were crazy though: their station had a heck of different stuff, including bacon bruschetta, bacon thyme ciabatta, three cheese garlic bacon spread, bacon and basil tomato sauce, and chicken fried bacon, and a little toaster oven to make them fresh and hot right there. I didn't go upstairs (my area was downstairs) until late, and I only got to try the bruschetta. It's sort of full circle… I discovered the bacon cheese potato pie from Reddit, and the winners also are Redditors.

There were 20 total offerings, both sweet and savory, such as Bacon Jalapeno Cornbread with homemade butter, mini Bacon Maple Cheese Pies, Bacon Hash with Fig Jam and Dijon Mustard Potatoes that came on a bacon mat, Chocolate Bacon Truffles (great presentation), Bacon Coffee Flan (made with Stumptown coffee), Bacon Bourbon Pecan Mini-pies, Bacon Bourbon Maple Pralines, Bacon Maple Milkshakes and even a homemade cured Bacon Lettuce Tomato offering (the latter was my favorite… and the milkshake was the weirdest to me).

Picture 1: Bacon milkshake in the cup, Bacon cheese pie in the back, Bacon Jalapeno Cornbread with homemade flavored butter, and Chocolate Bacon truffles in the front. Not pictured are the bourbon bacon peach crumble and the bacon bourbon maple pralines, which were the station immediately left and right of us which we were the first to sample

Picture 2: In the cups in front, bacon butternut squash enchiladas, on the paper the home-cured bacon made into a BLT (my favorite of the night) made by the People's Sandwich of Portland, another bacon milkshake in the cup in the back, bacon oatmeal cookie with cherries and almonds next to that, and bacon pizza (the latter two are from Gaufre Gourmet and Slice Brick Oven Pizza food carts)

Picture 3: In the blue paper was a bacon cinnamon roll with maple bacon frosting I think, underneath that are bacon bourbon pecan pies, and bacon profiterole on top of blue bacon! The bacon baklava is on top of a bacon spanish tortilla. In the front there is Bacon Hash with Caramelized Onion & Kale in the plastic cups, Bacon Chocolate Salty balls

Here are some shots (from her camera and mine) from Bacon Takedown 2011 in Portland. Unfortunately, since I was behind the station instead of just attending (a mere $10 admission to sample from all the bacon stations), I didn't do a more thorough photo documentation- but I know someone did go around to all the stations to do so, so hopefully it will be on the internet eventually. Yes, that is the Millenium Falcon & Death Star made out of Rice Krispie treats. Miss Melly is awesome. And the guy who organizes does this on a national tour so see if it's coming to your city (if you are a reader from somewhere else) and also does other kinds like chili, avocado, etc, and he's crazy in a contagiously enthusiastic way. This whole event was a little last minute insaneness but fun.

My Bacon Rice Krispies

Ingredients- yield is 24 rice krispies

  • 1 lb of bacon
  • 5 cups of Rice Krispies
  • 3 cups of mini-marshmallow

Steps

  1. Cook the bacon but save the drippings. I like to prepare mine by lining a pan with aluminum foil to lay out all the bacon and putting it in the bottom rack of my oven at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes- but watch the bacon the last 5 minutes because that's the difference between crispy bacon and burnt bacon. Usually after 15 minutes I will take out the tray and pour our the bacon drippings into a little corningware container. However you cook the bacon, save at least 5 tablespoons worth of drippings.
  2. Dry the bacon between paper towels. Take the crunchiest pieces and crumble enough to make 1/2 cup of bacon crumbles. You should still have several strips of bacon left.
  3. In a big pot (enough that will fit 5 cups of Rice Krispies and allow you to stir) add 4 tablespoons of bacon drippings and the 3 cups of mini marshallow on medium heat until they are melted.
  4. When the marshmallow is all melted, remove the pot from heat and add the 5 cups of Rice Krispies and do a quick initial stir so there are no big clumps of marshmallow because it is spread on the krispies, but don't stir too much.
  5. Add the 1/2 cup of bacon crumbles now and stir some more until the bacon crumbles are distributed evenly.
  6. Pour 1/2 the rice krispie mix into a 13x9x2 pan that is lined with parchment paper or wax paper (makes it not stick to the pan) and also brush the paper with a little bit of the bacon drippings. Use another piece of paper on top and press to flatten this 1/2 of the mix to the pan. Using the paper helps you not get it stuck on your fingers.
  7. Now add a thin layer of the bacon strips across the entire pan.
  8. Pour the second 1/2 the rice krispie mix into the pan and flatten. Let cool for at least 30 minutes
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