Fox & Food: Southern Living’s Bourbon & Bacon

This holiday season, ply your guests with some special bourbon and bacon treats.  Author and food critic Morgan Murphy chats with Fox News Radio’s Lilian Huang Woo to share stories and recipes from his homage to two of his favorite foods:  Southern Living’s new cookbook Bourbon & Bacon.  

 

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The Dirty South

 

This is pit barbecue in a glass: spicy Angel’s Envy Rye (which is finished in Caribbean rum casks) boosted with barbeque bitters and topped with a Benton’s Bacon Straw.

 

1/4 cup (2 oz.) Angel’s Envy or Sazerac Rye Whiskey

2 Tbsp. (1 oz.) Carpano Antica Sweet Vermouth

1/4 tsp. barbeque bitters

1 Benton’s Bacon Straw

 

MAKES: 1 serving

The Silver Dollar, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Combine first 3 ingredients in a cocktail shaker; fill shaker with ice. Cover with lid, and shake vigorously 30 seconds or until thoroughly chilled. Strain into a chilled martini glass. Rest Benton’s Bacon Straw on rim or place in glass.

 

BENTON’S BACON STRAWS

1. Soak 2-3 large wooden spoons in warm water 30 minutes. Drain. Preheat oven to 400°. Wrap a slice of Benton’s Hickory-Smoked Country Bacon around each spoon; place on a rack on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.
2. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes. Let cool completely (15 minutes). Gently slide bacon off each spoon. MAKES: 2-3 straws

 

Chatham Artillery Punch

Make up a batch of this Savannah tradition for a big party and fire at will.

 

6 qt. Catawba or other rosé wine

6 qt. strong tea

2 qt. light rum

2 qt. drained maraschino cherries

6 cups (48. oz) bourbon

6 cups fresh orange juice

6 cups fresh lemon juice

4 cups gin

4 cups brandy

1 cup Bénédictine

21/2 lb. brown sugar

12 (750-ml.) bottles sparkling wine or Champagne

MAKES: 100 SERVINGS

 

Combine all ingredients except sparkling wine in a 10-gal. container, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and chill 36 to 48 hours. Gently stir in sparkling wine just before serving.

 

For a Small Batch

Combine 2 cups Catawba or other rosé wine, 2 cups strong tea, 11/3 cups maraschino cherries, 2/3 cup light rum, 1/2 cup bourbon, 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/2 cup lemon juice, 1/3 cup gin, 1/3 cup brandy, 11/2 Tbsp. Bénédictine, and 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar, stirring until sugar dissolves. Cover and chill 36 to 48 hours. Just before serving, gently stir in 1 (750-ml.) bottle sparkling white wine or Champagne. MAKES: 12 SERVINGS

BACON-APPLE PIE

 (courtesy Southern Living Bourbon & Bacon by Morgan Murphy)

To my eye, this apple pie has an almost medieval look, with its meaty lattice top. To my stomach, it’s a modern-day marvel.

 

Makes: 12 servings

Hands-on: 12 min.

Total: 2 hr., 52 min.

 

½ (14.1-oz.) package refrigerated piecrusts

¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

½ tsp. ground cardamom

½ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

¼ tsp. ground cloves

6 cups (1/2 inch thick) slices peeled Fuji apple (5 apples)

10 to 12 applewood-smoke country bacon slices

 

1. Preheat oven to 350. Unroll piecrust, and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Fold edges under.
2. Stir together brown sugar and next 5 ingredients with a fork in a large bowl. Add apple slices, tossing to coat. Arrange apple slices in prepared crust, spooning sugar and accumulated juices over apple.
3. Arrange bacon slices in a lattice design over filling; gently press ends of strips, sealing to piecrust.
4. Cover pie with aluminum foil. Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Remove foil. Bake for 40 more minutes or until crust is golden brown and bacon is crisp.
5. Remove pie from baking sheet, and let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before cutting into wedges.

 

THE LOVELESS CAFÉ

Nashville, Tennessee

 

Chicken-and-Bacon Satay

 

You could call this “chicken on a stick,” but “satay” has an international ring that will let your guests know you’re not just some Bubba making a fine barbecue with bacon and poultry. The peanut sauce, popular with this Indonesian dish, can be spiced up with some onion or pepper.

 

4 skinned and boned chicken thighs (about 1 lb.)

1/2 cup light soy sauce

1/3 cup sake

2 Tbsp. light brown sugar

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1/2 tsp. dried crushed red pepper

16 to 20 (4-inch) wooden skewers

8 to 10 bacon slices, cooked and cut in half crosswise

Peanut Sauce

Garnish: thinly sliced green onions

 

MAKES: 16 TO 20 SKEWERS

HANDS-ON: 40 MIN.

TOTAL: 1 HR., 35 MIN.

 

1. Place chicken between 2 sheets of plastic wrap, and flatten to 1/4-inch thickness using a rolling pin or flat side of a meat mallet. Cut chicken into 16 to 20 (1-inch) strips.
2. Combine soy sauce and next 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic freezer bag; add chicken, turning to coat. Seal and chill 45 minutes, turning once.
3. Meanwhile, soak skewers in water 30 minutes; drain.
4. Preheat grill to 350° to 400° (medium-high) heat. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread 1 bacon piece and 1 chicken strip onto each skewer.
5. Grill skewers, covered with grill lid, 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until chicken is done. Serve skewers with Peanut Sauce. Garnish, if desired.

 

Peanut Sauce

Process 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter, 1/3 cup light soy sauce,  1/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice, 3 Tbsp. honey, and 3 Tbsp. dark sesame oil in a blender or food processor until smooth. Add 1 to 2 Tbsp. water, 1 tsp. at a time, processing until desired consistency is reached. MAKES: ABOUT 11/3 CUPS