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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 60 Minutes |
Ready In: 60 Minutes Servings: 8 |
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from Brian Ries, Creative Loafing restaurant reviewer extraordinaire. He did the testing and recipe development from something he ate in at a restaurant. It is wicked and delectable. Sweet and salty delight Ingredients:
1/2 cup brown sugar |
1/2 cup sugar |
1/2 cup light corn syrup |
1/2 cup water |
1 tablespoon reserved bacon fat |
2 teaspoons vanilla extract |
1 teaspoon baking soda |
1/2 tsp salt |
3/4 cup cocktail peanuts |
1 pound bacon, actually one package of bacon, i believe they are packed in 12 ounce packages-tricky downsizing for the same amount of money |
Directions:
1. Liberally grease a large baking sheet, or cover a baking sheet with greased parchment paper, or use a silicone mat (like a silpat).
2. Fry the bacon.
3. You want it crisp, but not too crisp. Chop or tear the bacon into 1/4 to 1/2 inch bits.
4. It seems the best combination is some crispy strips and some chewy strips.
5. There was more bacon flavor when I used basic supermarket brands; if you use thicker-cut bacon, you may need to increase the syrup amount to get good coverage across the brittle.
6. In a medium saucepan, combine both sugars, the corn syrup and water over medium heat.
7. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the syrup comes to a boil.
8. Attach a candy thermometer to the pan, increase the heat to medium high, and cook, without stirring, until the mixture reaches 290 degrees.
9. Immediately turn off the heat.
10. Try not to mess with the sugar while it is boiling, in order to avoid crystallization.
11. Corn syrup is much maligned, but it’s a classic tool that helps avoid that crystallization.
12. Off the heat, stir in the bacon fat, vanilla, baking soda and salt and quickly stir to distribute.
13. Then, quickly add peanuts and bacon bits and mix to coat. Immediately pour the hot mixture onto a prepared baking sheet.
14. Use a silicone spoon or spatula to spread mixture as thinly as possible.
15. Please note that there is so much stuff in the brittle, it will start to seize and thicken quickly.
16. That – and the mass of bacon and peanuts – prevents the brittle from becoming nice and thin.
17. If you want that style, cut the amount of peanuts and bacon you add and leave the heat on when you stir in all the ingredients.
18. This should make for a lighter style of brittle.
19. Cool 10-20 minutes until hard, before breaking into pieces.
20. Store in a covered container.
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