Bacon Onion Jam

Everything tastes good with bacon in it! I first tasted this jam during a 2015 holiday visit to my friends, the Konicek-Morans. Kathleen gave me the Martha Stewart Slow Cooker recipe and I adapted it to make this delicious savory sweet holiday treat this year. Savory, sweet, salty, smoky- you will want to spread it on everything! This jam is delicious on crackers with or without cheese or apple slices. It's a fabulous condiment for burgers and goes especially well with cheddar or blue cheese. Grilled cheese sandwiches with bacon jam inside are out of this world! My favorite use is in salad dressing (see vinaigrette recipe for one large salad below). Enjoy this jam year round or make it for a holiday gift in small jars.

Bacon-Onion Jam

1.5 pounds bacon, chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 medium yellow onions, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup cider vinegar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
3/4 cup brewed coffee

1. I use the same enameled Dutch oven for all steps but you can cook the bacon in a separate frying pan if you wish. Chop the bacon into 1 inch pieces and cook in 2 batches until rendered, lightly browned, and medium-crisped- about 20 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard fat from the first batch. As you cook the last batch, save 1 T of the bacon fat in the pan and discard the rest (or save for other uses).
2. Saute' onions in bacon fat until translucent (about 5 min) then add garlic (transfer now to an enameled Dutch oven if you sauteed in a different pan). Add rest of ingredients, except for the bacon, and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up the tiny brown bacon bits with a wooden spoon, for about 2 minutes.
3. Add bacon, stir to mix, lower heat to a gentle simmer, and simmer on low heat for about 2 hours or until the liquid cooks down and is syrupy.
4. Let cool to warm then transfer to a food processor (may have to do this in 2 batches). Pulse until coarsely chopped.
5. Let cool and pack into a jar or divide into small gift jars. Makes about one full cup of jam.

Tangy Bacon-Onion Vinaigrette (for one salad for 4-5 people)

This salad is delicious when made with just mixed greens, paper thin sliced red onion, halved cherry tomatoes, and sliced avocado. Tastes just like an avocado BLT!

1 T mild oil like Canola
2 T white or dark balsamic vinegar
1/2 T minced shallot
1/2 T bacon onion jam
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Put oil in a small bowl or ramekin dish.
2. Add bacon jam and with a small spoon, press jam into oil until mixed.
3. Add vinegar , shallot, and pinch of salt and pepper and stir thoroughly until homogeneous with bacon bits and shallot throughout.
4. Pour on salad and toss to mix dressing with greens and veggies.