International Bacon Day

I found this recipe for international bacon day which is today folks, if you try it let me know what it's like :-)



It might seem strange but these cupcakes take the salty-sweet combination to a new level. Makes 6.

Ingredients:
60g unsalted butter, softened
60g golden caster sugar
1 egg
65g self-raising flour
¼ tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp maple syrup
4 rashers of smoked, streaky bacon
For the icing:
50g softened butter
100g icing sugar
1 tsp maple syrup
A drop of milk
Method:
1. Grill the bacon until crisp. Set one rasher aside for the topping and finely chop the remaining three rashers. Leave to cool.
2. Beat together the butter and sugar until smooth. Mix in the egg and then the flour, vanilla extract and maple syrup. Stir in the chopped bacon.
3. Divide the mixture between six holes of a silicone muffin tray or use paper cases. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes, or until cooked through (check with a skewer or toothpick). Leave to cool completely.
4. For the icing, beat the butter and icing sugar in a bowl until smooth. Trickle in the maple syrup and add a drop of milk - a little at a time — to soften slightly. Pipe the icing on top of the cooled cakes. Finally, cut the grilled bacon rasher you set to one side in step 1 into 6 small shards and poke into the top of the iced cupcake.



Maybe you would prefer something a bit more traditional? I know I would, this looks worth trying to me.


 

Use up any leftover potatoes and veg by making these bacon potato cakes for breakfast or brunch. These are great with black pudding crumbled in, too. Serves 1.

Ingredients:
100g leftover mashed potato
Small handful of chopped, cooked greens (use leftovers)
1 rasher of bacon
1 egg
Method:
1. Grill the bacon until cooked through and golden and chop into small pieces.
2. In a bowl, mix the leftover mashed potato, grilled, chopped bacon and the cooked greens. Season with a little pepper and salt if you think it needs it (this will depend on how much you seasoned your mash when you first made it).
3. Form the mixture into a patty and fry in a little oil for 5 minutes on each side, until heated through. Top with a fried or poached egg and grind over some black pepper before serving.

I am going to try this on DH soon..... where's the potato masher?