Text 4732, 90 rader
Skriven 2008-04-01 12:46:06 av DAVE SACERDOTE (1:123/140)
Ärende: Gourmet Bacon Tastes
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http://davescupboard.blogspot.com/2008/04/dartagnan-uncured-bacon.html

D'Artagnan Uncured Bacon

Over the weekend I had the opportunity to taste two unique and 
wonderful bacons made by D'Artagnan - their Uncured Smoked Duck 
Bacon and their Uncured Smoked Wild Boar Bacon.

Uncured Smoked Duck Bacon: Dark mahogany-colored lean meat 
bordered with a narrow strip of fat, sliced fairly thick. 
The meat is very "wet" and I can't recommend it for anyone 
who likes their bacon crispy. This duck bacon is best heated 
in a medium frying pan just until warm through - perhaps with 
a touch of browning on the fat.

Laid out on a plate before frying, you can see the wonderful 
richness of the duck breast and the layer of fat that becomes 
one side of the bacon strips after slicing. It's obvious that 
this isn't really a true bacon but rather a smoked duck breast, 
sliced to provide another option for the diner. (A good idea, 
actually - many people wouldn't think of serving a sliced smoked 
duck breast for breakfast, and the price per pound of D'Artagnan's 
smoked duck breast and "uncured smoked duck bacon" is almost the s
ame. So three cheers for their duck joining us for breakfast 
thanks to clever marketing!)

In the frying pan, the fatty strips melt gently away, leaving 
only a slight boarder on the wide, lean rashers. Turn the 
bacon carefully in the pan, because the fat is only loosely 
attached and has a tendency to fall off. There is very little 
shrinkage to the lean bits, but duck fat melts easily. (You 
can see how much renders out by comparing the photos.) As 
soon as the meat is warmed through it's ready to be served. 
It has a delicious ham-like flavor, not too salty, enhanced 
by the subtlety of the smoke.

I used some of the duck fat in the pan to make homefried 
potatoes and poured the remainder into a jar to save for 
later use. If you've ever used duck or goose fat in cooking
before, you know how marvelous it is for sauteeing. The smoke 
flavoring here may limit the uses of this fat, but it's still 
fantastic for potatoes, green beans, or stir-frying asparagus 
with slivers of garlic.

Overall, I give D'Artagnan Uncured Smoked Duck Bacon high 
marks. A half-pound package sells locally for $5.99 - perhaps 
too expensive for a regular weekend breakfast, but well in 
line for an occasional treat, especially given that the 
leftover rendered fat is so versatile.

Uncured Smoked Wild Boar Bacon is a much more traditional 
product. The rashers are smaller than with standard commercial 
bacon, which is about what I expected given the size difference
between wild boar and domesticated swine.

I was a bit surprised by the amount of fat in the slices. I guess 
I expected wild boar to be leaner, but it was no more lean than 
any of the premium standard bacons I've had previously. However, 
the lean sections were darker and meatier than commercial bacon, 
and it was easy to get any degree of crispness I wished, cooking 
it as I would any other bacon.

There was a bit of shrinkage in the pan - again, no more than I 
would expect from any premium-quality bacon - and it must be said 
that wild boar bacon is pretty ordinary looking - indistinguishable 
by sight from any other bacon.

The flavor, however, is where this stuff shines.

The slices were no thicker than standard bacon, yet the lean bits 
were richer-tasting and chewier than standard. There was a hint 
of gaminess, but only enough to emphasize the difference between 
the boar bacon and the standard stuff. The strips were flavorful
without being too salty (much like the duck bacon was) and quite 
good at any degree of crispness.

Like the Duck Bacon, I found the Wild Boar Bacon to be a top-notch 
product, at least as good as any premium bacon. At $6.99 for an 
8-ounce package locally, it may be an occasional treat however. And I think
the subtlety of the taste is best enjoyed on its own rather than
buried along with other flavors in a BLT.

---
http://davescupboard.blogspot.com/ - Dave's Cupboard - Food and 
Restaurant Reviews; If I post it here in NCE, you'll find it 
blogged with photos at Dave's Cupboard.

http://bacon-labels.blogspot.com/ - A gallery of bacon package labels.
(The extra shelf in Dave's Cupboard.
 * Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com (1:123/140)