Scribbles & Munch

      Halloween draws ever nearer, and my quest to perfect All Things Pumpkin continues.  Yesterday I took it upon myself to create Pumpkin Spoonbread with Candied Bacon.

The color was gorgeous, and the smell as it baked was even better!

      This was a double experiment, because I'd never made spoonbread, and I'd never cooked with candied bacon (my usual approach to candied bacon is to take bacon, candy it in whole strips, and cram them into my mouth as soon as temperature will permit).  I am pleased to report that the experiment was a marvelous success!  It had all the robust flavors one craves in the fall, with great balance of texture.  Everyone who partook thoroughly enjoyed the dish, and I - as my own worst critic - could find nothing I would change next time around.
      We ate this for dinner along with steamed broccolini and fresh pears.  However, I think this would really be superb as a brunch entrée, served with fresh fruit, hot coffee and biscotti.  In point of fact, I think that is precisely what my Thanksgiving brunch will look like this year.  It'll impress the pants off my guests.  Which is fine, because we never fit into our pants at the end of the holidays, anyway.
      Oh yeah, and this is gluten free!  If, y'know, you care about that sort of thing.

Z.D.'s Pumpkin Spoonbread with Herbs and Candied Bacon

Ingredients:
6 thick slices of bacon, diced
1/2 Cup minced sweet onion
1 & 2/3 Cups whole milk (2% is Ok, but no lower)
5 & 1/2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2/3 Cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 Cup pumpkin purée
2 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme
1 teaspoon freshly chopped rosemary
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Generous pinch white pepper
1/4 Cup packed golden brown sugar

Directions:
 - Pre-heat your oven to 350º F, and set four 3/4 Cup ramekins on a baking sheet.  In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon with the onion, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown and most of the bacon fat is rendered.  This will take anywhere from 15 to 20 minutes, so meanwhile prepare the spoonbread batter.

The key is to only render about 80% of the bacon fat before adding the sugar at the end.

 - In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt the butter into the milk, and add the salt.

Don't ignore your milk mixture or it will boil over and you will be a very unhappy chef.

 - When the mixture reaches a strong simmer, whisk in the cornmeal and remove from the heat.  Whisk for another minute or so until the mixture is thick and even, then stir in the pumpkin purée until thoroughly combined.  Set aside.

This will have the texture of good mashed potatoes.

 - In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks.  Set aside.

Remember: stiff peaks means when you lift out the beaters, the little tufts of egg whites stay upright, they do not sag!

 - In a large bowl, beat together the egg yolks, herbs, nutmeg, and pepper.  Add the cornmeal mixture and stir vigorously with a spoon until thoroughly combined.  Set aside.

I used fresh thyme and rosemary because a) they were what I had on hand, and b) I think both go great with bacon.  However, feel free to substitute other fresh herbs that compliment pumpkin, such as sage, or chives, or parsley!

 - Carefully pour off all but about a teaspoon of the bacon fat from your skillet (I just tipped the whole mess into a strainer rather than risk losing precious bacon, then put it back in the pan).  Add the brown sugar and stir often, so it starts to melt and coat the bacon.  Then divide the candied bacon mixture evenly among the ramekins, spreading to cover the bottoms.

If you're looking at this and thinking, "That's not enough bacon," don't worry: with the onion and the sugar, I promise this will provide the flavor punch you crave.  Trust me.

 - Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the pumpkin batter, just to lighten, then fold in the remaining whites.

Yes, you really do have to fold the egg whites, not stir.  Stirring deflates them and that defeats the purpose!

 - Spoon the batter equally among the ramekins, covering the candied bacon.  Transfer the ramekins on the baking sheet to the oven, and bake for 27 - 32 minutes, or until the spoonbread starts to pull away from the sides and the edges of tinged with brown.

I used my 1.5 Cup ramekins to be on the safe side, and they were twice the size I needed.  So feel free to use 3/4 or 1 Cup ramekins if you have those instead.

      Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 to 10 minutes before eating.  The spoonbread has a great texture, and finding the candied bacon at the bottom makes every bite a pleasure!

Smokey, salty, creamy, meaty, savory, and a little sweet.  The herbs add depth and the portion size is perfect for the richness!

     If you were looking to simplify things a bit you could probably make the candied bacon a day or so ahead.  Seal it in a tupperware container - or scoop it into the ramekins and cover each with plastic wrap - and stash it in the fridge.  Just make sure it's at room temperature before adding the batter and putting things in the oven.