Bacon Freak Blog

As the proprietor of the Coastal Vineyards Wine Club I get to taste a lot of different wines to determine which wines go into our wine clubs. We welcome you to our private cellar and our video series called Message in a Bottle and our review of Beckman Wines for our Cabernet Wine Club. Today we will be tasting the Beckman Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.

As a reminder our wine reviews aren’t meant to be a high society snob review. We are just going to drink and talk about the wines that we regularly feature in our wine club. So kick back, relax and enjoy.

Beckman wines was founded in 1994 by Judy and Tom Beckmen, Beckmen Vineyards is a family-run, estate-grown winery in the Santa Ynez Valley. The Beckmen’s grow grapes on two vineyards, one of which is the Purisima Mountain Vineyard in Santa Ynez Valley area. The vineyard represents one of the most ambitious hillside vineyard endeavors in the Santa Ynez Valley. Yet, the high elevation, unique microclimate and rare limestone subsoil make this special vineyard a winemaker’s dream. Beckmen Vineyards has stayed true to the land, and true to its vision. Believing that the wine in the bottle begins in the soil.

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O.k. earlier this week I published a story on Bacon Vodka drink, this has cause a little bit of a controversy as fans of the Bacon Martini say it is a far better drink. So I have done some research on this beverage and found that there is an entire site dedicated to it at www.baconmartini.com.

If you’ve ever had a vodka martini, shaken not stirred, then imagine that flavor but now add a slightly spicy and salty bacon essence, and you are pretty much on your way to getting a feel of what to expect. It’s obviously saltier than a normal martini and it has a bit of tangy “heat” in both the original flavor and lingering aftertaste.

So what exactly is in it you ask? Great question and one that has been just a little bit tricky getting bartenders to fully open up and reveal the mystical magic of their mysterious mixology. It seems each bartender and establishment has their own special, unique twist on their preparation of the drink, but here’s what most of the master mixologists seem to agree on.

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The effort to find the perfect bacon appetizer continues. Restaurants and chefs from all over the country continue to submit their very best dishes and are revealing their preparation secrets to Joe the plumbers like me and you. One of our Bacon Freak Bacon Club customers made the following fact painfully obvious when he called us this week to tell us that the perfect meal containing bacon doesn’t start at the appetizer it starts at the drink. Sounds logical? After all we have been sending you info on drinks such as Mitch Morgan’s and bacon, etc.

We want to thank our customer who shared with us this Bacon Vodka recipe he found at www.browniepointsblog.com. Here is the secret:

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Hello Bacon Fans! I am continuing my quest to find the best bacon recipes. In my effort to bring you the best I am asking some of the top chefs and restaurants in the country to reveal there secret recipes. Klaus Fritsch who is Morton’s Executive Chef sent over his Sea Scallops Wrapped With Bacon with Apricot Chutney.

Morton’s Restaurant Group, is a very upscale steakhouse. They have over 80 locations around the country. I have eaten at their steak houses in Hawaii, Arizona and of course California. I can tell you that they serve you generous portions of meat cooked to perfection.

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On my quest to seek out the best and most delicious bacon appetizer, a fan of bacon submitted a recipe from www.epicurious.com. This particular recipe is a few years old and has probably not received the attention that it deservers. So I felt compelled to contact the PR and marketing folks there and ask if I could republish it. They welcomed the idea as we had a conversation about bacony delicious snacks and treats!

Bacon and Onion Tart:
Ingredients
• 8 bacon slices, chopped
• 5 cups sliced onions (about 3 large)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 13.8-ounce tube refrigerated pizza dough
• 1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
Preperation:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Sauté bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until slightly crisp. Drain all but 1 tablespoon bacon drippings from skillet. Add onions to bacon and sauté over medium heat until onions are very tender but not brown, about 20 minutes. Cool.
Whisk egg, sour cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in large bowl to blend. Stir in cooled onion mixture.
Roll pizza dough out on lightly floured surface to 13×10-inch rectangle. Transfer to baking sheet. Spread onion mixture over dough, leaving 1/2-inch plain border around edges. Sprinkle with caraway seeds.
Bake tart until onion custard is set and crust is golden brown around edges and brown on bottom, about 25 minutes.
Thank you to the folks at www.epicurious.com.

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