Bacon Butter

Talk about a double whammy. A marriage of two, near-perfect fats. The kids and I caught that excellent New Scandinavian cooking show on PBS recently, and we were lulled into a most peaceful state thanks to the outdoor setting and the folksy hokey Mentos-the-Freshmaker appeal of the whole thing. The host, Andreas Viestad, made an insanely delicious concoction called Bacon Butter. And man is it brilliant: it’s got richness upon richness, and a nice jolt of acid from the red vinegar. A sort of reset button that gives a vibrancy to the whole affair. Viestad served it over pork chops and a whole roasted celery root. And the family and I’ve since learned it’s good on just about anything (particularly bread, scallops, eggs, steak, mahi mahi, pork chops, and chicken in my experience). He eyeballed the proportions, but did something along these lines:

Scandinavian Bacon Butter
1/4 chopped shallots
6 or so slices of bacon, chopped into rough dice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 stick of butter, softened
salt and pepper

Sautee shallots and bacon until nicely caramelized. Turn off heat. Stir in thyme leaves. Let cool. Stir into butter. Add vinegar. Mix until combined. Salt and pepper to taste. Add a bit more vinegar if necessary. If it melts, reset it in the fridge. Serve on any danged thang. If the food is hot, it makes an instant sauce.
—Hugh

Comments

[Crumbs]

I don't think I'm cut out to be a real foodie. I envy your pleasure in this recipe.

[sarafina]

While "Scandinavian Bacon Butter" is an accurate description, the actual name for this recipe (on the website at least) is "Butter á la flaming love". Not sure what makes it flaming, but I like the name.

[Heather]

Brilliant. Thank you for sharing this!

[glparker389]

This sounds delectable.

Reminds me of a Homer Simpson quote: "Butter that bacon!"

[artichokey]

I love that Scandinavian cooking show and I am fascinated by how they work vinegar into almost every recipe. Salt, pepper, vinegar!