Pagan Pancakes With Bacon Jam & Crème Fraîche Recipe

Looking for a new breakfast recipe? Try out this one from the "A Thyme And Place Cookbook."

Pump Up the Jam, with Bacon!

Ingredients for Bacon Jam

• 1-½ pounds of thick cut bacon cut into 1-inch pieces (we like applewood but any good quality will do)
• 2 large sweet onions, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 6 mission figs, chopped (optional)
• ½ cup of dark brown sugar, packed
• ½ cup of apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup of honey
• 1 Tbsp of ground ginger
• 1 tsp of black pepper
• 6 Tbsp Drambuie (or bourbon – we liked the sweet notes of Drambuie)
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt

Direction of Bacon Jam

• Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cover and cook for approximately 25 minutes. Check on the bacon with some frequency, giving in a stir each time.

• Once the bacon begins to crisp, remove the cover and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Turn the heat off once the bacon is fully crisp. Remove using a slotted spoon and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. Let the fat in the Dutch oven cool for a few minutes and then – hear us – save the stuff in a container for future cooking.

• Leave all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat in the Dutch oven. Turn the heat back on (again, medium) and add the onions and garlic, scrapping up any delicious bacon bits from the bottom of the pan, and cook until soft. Once they are soft, add the figs if you so choose (highly recommended).

• Drop the heat to medium low and add the brown sugar, cider vinegar, honey, ginger, pepper, and Drambuie. Cook for 10 minutes, just enough time for the mixture to start to get jammy.

• Adjust the heat to medium for 5 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the jam from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Lower heat back down to medium low and add the bacon. Cook for 20 minutes, covered. Stir occasionally. Remove lid and cook for 5 more minutes. Add the salt.

• Remove from heat and let it cool slightly. Add the mixture to the food processor and chop to desired texture. We like it finely chopped as looks more refined. Well as refined as bacon jam can be.

Pagan Pancakes
With cheddar cheese, bacon jam and crème fraiche

A savory, cheesy pancake. We love bacon jam (maybe a little too much) but you could replace it with raspberry preserves or a chutney.

Ingredients for pancakes:

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 large shallots, sliced
• 1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh sage
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup whole milk
• 1 cup grated mild cheddar
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar

Other ingredients:

• Bacon jam
• Crème fraiche
• Fresh, chopped sage

Directions:

• In a small saute pan, heat the butter and add the shallots and fresh sage. This will brown and soften quickly, even on medium heat, so keep a good eye on this.

• Remove from heat and allow to cool. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar) and combine.

• Add the egg, buttermilk, and milk to the dry ingredients. Mix thoroughly, removing all lumps. Add the cooled shallots and sage, and mix. Then add the cheese and fully incorporate in the mixing bowl. Set the mixture aside for 20 minutes.

• Heat skillet or griddle. Add butter to the hot pan. These pancakes can be made as a meal or an appetizer – we made this as an appetizer using square metal molds/biscuit/cookie cutters.

Presentation:
Place a pancake on a plate. Add a scoop of bacon jam on the top, followed with a plop of crème fraiche. Finish with fresh chopped sage.

Summer Wine for around the Bonfire

Also known as a Potus Ypocras, a popular medieval beverage. Also called Hippocas, name after the famous Greek physician Hippocrates.

Ingredients:

• 1 bottle Riesling, or another mildly sweet white wine
• 1 cup honey
• ¾ cup elderflower liqueur
• 8 whole cloves
• 2 apples, cored and cubed
• 1 cup seedless grapes
• 1 bottle prosecco

Directions:

• Bring the wine and honey to a boil. Skim the scum (or bubbles) off the top as it boils. This process is called clarifying the honey. Remove from heat and let cool. In a pitcher, add the wine and honey mixture, followed by the remaining ingredients. Let the mixture sit overnight in refrigerator.

• In a champagne glass, pour the prosecco halfway and add the summer wine, leaving room for you to spoon some of that deliciously drunk fruit into the glass. Be careful to avoid the cloves; you don't want to eat/drink those.