Pasta alla Carbonara

Bacon.  Eggs.  Cheese.  They're three of my favorite ingredients.  And let's be honest - it's pretty difficult to think of a way to improve upon that classic combo.

Unless, of course, you decide to combine bacon, eggs, and cheese with pasta.  Then all bets are off.

Traditional pasta alla carbonara is made with guanciale (pork jowl) and tossed with raw egg.  But I thought I'd make a more weeknight friendly version of the recipe by substituting bacon for the guanciale and topping the finished pasta with a poached egg.

Pasta alla Carbonara

6 oz applewood smoked bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 lb rigatoni
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp freshly ground pepper

Poached Eggs

1 cup distilled white vinegar
2 eggs

Cook bacon until crispy in a large frying pan over medium-low heat.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel lined plate and allow to drain.  Set the pan with the bacon fat aside to cool slightly.

In the mean time, cook pasta in a large saucepan until al dente.  Using pasta server, remove cooked pasta from water and transfer to a large bowl.  Set 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water aside in a bowl, and then reduce heat on the remaining water in the pan to medium-low (simmering). 

Add 1/2 cup vinegar to two small bowls.  Crack one egg into each bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.

Gently drop one egg (and vinegar) into the still boiling pasta water and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes (the whites should be firm but the yolk should be runny).  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the poached egg to a paper towel lined plate.  Repeat with the second egg.

Melt butter with freshly ground pepper (I used the pepper blend pictured below) in the frying pan with reserved bacon fat over medium heat.  Add pasta, parmesan, and reserved pasta cooking water and cook until the cheese has melted and the sauce has thickened.

Transfer pasta to bowls.  Top with cooked bacon and poached eggs.

Cut into poached egg and allow the yolk to coat pasta.  Toss to distribute and enjoy!

4 Words: Bacon. Bourbon. Caramel. Corn.

It's Super Bowl Sunday and I'll let you in on a little secret: I couldn't care less about football.  In fact, I didn't even know which teams were playing until today.  I know, I know - how very un-American of me.  But even though I admittedly only watch the game for the commercials and the half time show, I still use the day as an excuse to eat unhealthy snacks and drink beer all afternoon.

When I was looking for a delicious and decadent snack to enjoy for the game this year, I kept coming across ads for Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corn.  It sounded great, but it came with a $14 price tag for an 8 oz. bag.  I figured that I could make it for a whole lot cheaper than that and still have some money left over for frothy beverages.  (Because those commercials aren't anywhere near as funny when you can't afford any beer to go along with them.)

Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corn

1/2 pound bacon
2 3.3 oz. bags of microwave popcorn
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup bourbon (I used Jim Beam, but you can use whatever you have on hand)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract  
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
sea salt (as a garnish)

Preheat oven to 250 F.

Cook bacon in a frying pan over medium-low heat until crispy. Set on a paper towel covered plate to drain.

Pop popcorn in microwave.  Be sure to use a non-buttered/non-flavored microwave popcorn (I used Orville Redenbacher's Tender White, pictured below):

Pour each bag of popcorn into a large bowl:

Crumble bacon onto popcorn and toss to distribute:

Add butter, brown sugar, and maple syrup to a saucepan and stir over medium heat until the butter melts and the ingredients are well blended.  Allow mixture to come to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Remove mixture from heat and stir in bourbon, vanilla extract, salt, and baking soda.  Pour the bourbon caramel mixture over the popcorn and toss to coat:

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil.  Spray foil with non-stick spray and pour caramel coated popcorn onto foil lined cookie sheet to form a single layer:

Bake for 30 minutes, turning popcorn once.  Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.  Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.