Bacon Bowl Salad (yes it is a bowl made of bacon)
- Our masterpiece, the Bacon Bowl Salad
When I heard that our good friends Tony and Kristi were coming to visit for a fun filled weekend, I immediately began dreaming of the culinary adventures to come. When we get together, the food ideas begin to flow and some tasty feasts follow…..
Tony and Kristi with our dog Kelli
We had an idea that transformed into a masterpiece, the Bacon Bowl Salad.
The idea spawned from Tony’s recipe for Maple Sugar Bacon, which actually tastes like a “bacon brittle”. Once we made this, we realized that the bacon could be formed and hold its shape once cooled. The idea juices began flowing and we ended up with the Bacon Bowl Salad.
- 13 strips of good quality hickory smoked bacon sliced thick
- 2-3 tsp real maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- your favorite salad fixings and dressing
Start by placing foil on the bottom of a broiler pan and preheating the oven to 325 degrees. Layer the bacon on the top of the ungreased broiler pan. It is important to use a broiler pan or deep baking dish with a raised slotted surface, to allow the excess fat to drip away from the bacon.
Bacon weaving, not as easy as it looks!
Weave the bacon using seven columns and six rows. Be careful not to stretch the bacon as you weave it. Leave the loose ends untucked so the bacon cooks uniformly.
So proud of our accomplishment
Place the broiler pan with bacon weave into the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour on325 degrees. The bacon should be close to crispy but slightly soft and still pliable when you remove it from the oven.
Starting to look like this might work
Sprinkle with the brown sugar and drizzle with the maple syrup. Try to evenly coat the entire bacon weave with the brown sugar and syrup. Little clumps of brown sugar are OK since it will melt onto the bacon when cooked again.
A little longer in the oven to meld the flavors
Cook the bacon weave for another 10-15 minutes. Be sure to watch it closely so that the suger does not burn. It should come out of the oven golden brown, not burnt black which can happen quickly due to the sugar cooking too long. This is also a good time to prepare the salad and dressing to serve in the bacon bowl.
Place a heat safe glass bowl (Pyrex works great if you have it) upside down on a foil lined dish. Remove the candied bacon from the oven when it turns a golden brown color and the syrup has melded with the sugar.
Using two sets of tongs or long spatulas, transfer the bacon weave on top of the overturned bowl being careful to center it. Lightly press down the edges to form the bacon weave loosely to the bowl.
Cooling on a bowl, almost ready to eat
Blot the bacon bowl with paper towels to remove any excess grease. Allow it to cool and harden 5-10 minutes.
When it is just hardened, carefully turn over the glass bowl, laying the bacon bowl onto your serving dish.
"IT LIVES!!" In my best Dr. Frankenstein voice
We served a salad with baby lettuce, freeze dried corn, dried cranberries, chopped cashews, fresh avocado, and blue cheese. Tony also whipped up an impromptu maple balsamic vinaigrette which was dynamite. You can serve your favorite salad and dressing, or anything else that might taste good in a bacon bowl.
We decided to portion the salad mix onto seperate serving dishes and then add the dressing. Next we broke the bacon bowl into 4 pieces to top the salad. That way the dressing did not run out or cause soggy bacon issues while waiting to be served. The bacon was crunchy, sweet and complimented our salad perfectly.
I believe this recipe would also work to make individual bacon bowls, just cut the bacon into smaller pieces before weaving.
- We hope you enjoy it!
We hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Try Roast Pumpkin with Cheese “Fondue” to serve with the salad.
Thank you for reading my blog. Please check out my recipes.
Brad
October 22nd, 2009 at 10:44 am
My jaw just dropped reading this! Thanks for letting me know about your site on foodbuzz!
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:44 am
What a week-end. This was the highlight of the culinary treats that Tony and Brad created. I will say this was just as tasty as it looks in the pictures. If you are a fan of Bacon it is a must have at your next dinner party.
October 22nd, 2009 at 11:07 pm
Molly, Im glad you enjoyed it. I also like your website and added it to my blog feed. More to come….
October 27th, 2009 at 11:56 am
Very creative stuff. Looks good guys.
November 6th, 2009 at 10:32 pm
Hi – I don’t comment on many blogs but had to on yours. It’s really nice! I really like how you write – very to the point, unlike a lot of other sites. Thanks for having this site. I’ll bookmark it and visit regularly. Please visit my recipe web site at http://www.KAChef.com. Keep up the outstanding work!
November 11th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Thanks so much Mike for the flattering compliment. I am still developiong my blog and hope to continue providing interested readers with mouthwatering content that is simple and honest.
I will definately check out your website http://www.KAchef.com. If you would like a “fingers free” approach to receiveing my updated blog posts, please sign up thru a reader or email in the fields above and to the right.
Have a great day.
November 13th, 2009 at 12:56 am
the irony of a salad eaten out of a bowl made of bacon! ha! take that vegetarians! … uh, did i think that one out loud? ha ha!
November 13th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
Yes this is definately not a vegitarian recioe, but maybe it could be made with veggie bacon? I believe I’ve seen veggie bacon in the grocery store. But for right now I’ll stick with real bacon….
November 15th, 2009 at 1:25 am
This is the coolest thing ever. I am totally going to make one. Nice work.
I just accepted your request on Food Buzz. Can’t wait to see more!
November 15th, 2009 at 1:37 am
Thanks Eric. I hope you try the recipe and enjoy it. Please sign up for future posts because there is a lot more to come. Have a great day.
November 15th, 2009 at 1:29 am
Hi brad
THis is Pierre from Paris In france
I am amazed by this bacon bowl congratulations !
If you like french creative food come and see my blog you are most welcome to visit me ! Have a good one Cheers Pierre
November 15th, 2009 at 1:36 am
Thanks Pierre, I’ll definately check out your blog. Have a great day, I’m glad you liked the bacon bowl.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:40 am
haha, that’s awesome. i would need other people around to ensure i didn’t eat the whole thing myself.
November 15th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
Thanks Brie, I think it would be hard to stop eating your Deep fried Deviled Eggs recipe posted on your blog. Let me know if you make the bacon bowl and how it comes out. Next time I make it I will serve a filet mignon inside.
November 17th, 2009 at 6:15 pm
bacon bowl- now that’s a first!
hehe
November 18th, 2009 at 10:06 am
Thanks Betty. I appreciate the compliment, particularly since I believe you are a vegetarian? I myself am a bacotarian..
.
I really enjoyed reading your blog and learning about the food in all the places you travel to. Have a great day.
November 18th, 2009 at 4:11 pm
[...] was the last time you made a Bacon Bowl Salad or Bacon Lollipops? I created both these recipes [...]
November 24th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
OMG, you are my new hero. That is sheer brilliance!!!!
November 24th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Thanks Goldie, more creations to come! Too much bacon and too much time on my hands I guess….
November 30th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
How cool is that?! A bacon bowl everyone can share! I love this idea! Thanks for sharing.
November 30th, 2009 at 10:53 pm
Thanks Melissa, it was nice of you to comment on the Bacon Bowl. More bacon creations to come on future posts.
January 1st, 2010 at 8:29 pm
That looks great. I should try this next time we have people over
January 1st, 2010 at 3:58 pm
Thanks Korish for your coment and compliment. You could serve just about anything in the bacon bowl for your guests. Please let me know if you try it out.
January 8th, 2010 at 1:11 am
That bowl looks crazy good! I may have to make all my dishes of the same 'material'
January 8th, 2010 at 2:10 am
Yes everything is better in a bacon bowl! Thanks Anamaris.
January 18th, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Oh my gosh, that is so impressive, and I bet yummy! I would have to try hard not to eat the bowl first, haha! A job well done!
January 22nd, 2010 at 10:15 am
[...] For an creative way to serve your next salad, check out my Bacon Bowl Salad recipe. [...]
January 27th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
[...] time to make another bacon bowl, wonder what I should serve in it this [...]
January 31st, 2010 at 8:15 am
OMG, I need to make myself a bacon bowl!!!
January 31st, 2010 at 10:47 am
Hi Steph, it’s easy to make and tastes oh so good…
February 10th, 2010 at 5:37 pm
[...] do with the bacon after straining it out, but it seems such a waste to not eat it, so inspired by eatnlisten.com, I decided to make a bacon bowl. The bowl came out a little wonky, maybe because the bacon was [...]
June 23rd, 2010 at 8:01 pm
My brother had seen this a couple months ago and requested I make it for him! We had pondered how to do so. Now maybe I will!
June 24th, 2010 at 7:29 am
If you decide to9 make the bacon bowlplease let me know how it turns out, thanks!