Missy, I came across this recipe and thought you might be able to do something
with components of it. I thought the candied bacon sounds good. I love that old recipe of the bacon wrapped around a dried date.
Kathleen Boulanger
Williston, VT
SPICED-CANDIED BACON PIZZA with CARAMELIZED APPLE & PECAN TOPPING
Yields 8 slices
For Candied Bacon:
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 pound thinly sliced smoked bacon
1/2 cup salted or unsalted roasted pecan halves, coarsely chopped if desired
For Caramelized Apples:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cooking apples peeled, cored and cut into _ inch dice
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons apple cider or frozen all natural apple juice concentrate, thawed and undiluted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
For pizza:
1 Mama Mary’s 12 inch Gourmet Pizza Crust
1/2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 8 ounce cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup apple cider or frozen all natural apple juice concentrate, thawed
1-2 tablespoons freshly grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar for garnish
8-10 mint sprigs for garnish, as desired
For spiced candied bacon, preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a large broiler pan with aluminum foil and position broiler rack on top of pan. Lightly coat the pan with canola oil. Combine brown sugar, cayenne pepper and cinnamon in a medium shallow dish. Gently, but firmly, press one side of each slice of bacon into the spiced sugar to coat well. Place bacon, sugar side up and in one layer on oiled broiler pan. Bake until the bacon is crisp and the sugar is bubbly; 15-20 minutes. Transfer bacon, sugar side up, to paper towel lined platter to drain. Snip bacon into 1 inch pieces, when cool enough to handle, set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450° F.
While the bacon is cooking transfer any remaining sugar mixture to a small bowl, toss pecans with the sugar mixture; refrigerator until needed.
To prepare caramelized apples heat a large heavy skillet on medium high melt the butter; add the apples and sauté until just softened, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Lower heat to medium; stir in brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add cider or apple juice concentrate and lemon juice; stirring frequently. Cook approximately 3 additional minutes until apples are tender and juice are slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
To assemble the pizza line a vented pizza pan or large baking sheet with parchment baking paper that has been trimmed so edges do not hang over the pan or touch the oven wall. Place pizza crust on the parchment-lined pan. Rub the crust and the rim with softened butter, set aside.
In a medium bowl add the cream cheese, cider or apple juice, lemon zest and brown sugar; using a hand held mixer or large spoon beat until the mixture is smooth. Spread over the pizza crust but not the rim. Using a slotted spoon, top with caramelized apples, reserving any juices.
Reduce oven temperature to 425° F. Keeping pizza on the pan bake for 10 minutes, remove from the oven. Sprinkle pizza with bacon pieces and sugar-spiced pecans; drizzle with remaining juices from caramelized apples.
Remove pizza crust from the parchment-lined pan and place directly on the oven rack and bake for an additional 3-5 minutes until heated through.
Cool 10 minutes; sprinkle evenly with confectioners’ sugar, as desired. Garnish with sprigs of fresh mint.
Note: For ease of preparation spiced-candied bacon, caramelized apples and cream cheese mixture can be prepared in advance; cover and refrigerate separately until needed. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before preparing pizza.
