Awaken to bacon and the day just starts off great! There is nothing better than the alluring aroma of bacon frying in a skillet and the smell of fresh coffee wafting through the air. Breakfast offerings just seem incomplete without a little bacon in the mix. 

From breakfast to dinner, bacon is an all-American favorite! Now it’s even the hip trend in cocktails. Yes, that’s right: bacon-infused bourbon is all the rage! At New York’s PDT bar they are serving an Old Fashioned made with bacon-infused bourbon. And it is yummy!!!!

Now if you’re inviting guests for cocktails and don’t want to infuse your booze with bacon, you can always whip up a batch of my Kinda Retro Bacon-Wrapped Ginger Shrimp with Spicy Thai Cocktail Sauce, a modern-day twist on this old-time appy favorite. And then there are those yummy bacon-wrapped dates everyone is taking to parties lately … love those, too.

It seems men especially love bacon—they are always cruising around the kitchen for it and I swear can smell it a mile away!  My husband John, a true bacon’noisseur, was thrilled when he heard I was doing a Dishing item on bacon and was quick to volunteer as a taste-tester. 

But gals love bacon, too. Maybe I don’t sit down to a big stack of bacon very often but, when I do, I want it to be quality.

So, if you want to indulge in some super-sexy, high-end, and darn right fun bacon, there are some exciting options! For the ultimate “eveything bacon,” check out Bacon Freak, where they open up with: Welcome To Bacon Freak’s “Bacon Is Meat Candy” Gourmet Bacon Club Where “Baconism” Is Much More Than A Mere Philosophy, It’s Our Very Way Of Life! I love it! Their products are super-fun and tasty. From the Boss Hog Hickory and Brown Sugar Smoked Bacon to Rocco’s Country Pepper Bacon to Bourbon Street Cajun Country Bacon, Bacon Freak is a bacon lover’s dream—and it’s just a darn right fun site, too!

Kinda Retro Bacon-Wrapped Ginger Shrimp with Spicy Thai Cocktail Sauce
Makes 6 – 8 cocktail appetizer servings

1 pound peeled, deveined, raw large shrimp
Half-slices of regular bacon for wrapping shrimp
—————
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced fresh lemongrass
1 1/2 teaspoons minced lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon peanut oil or other mild vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red chile flakes
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Remove tail-section shells from shrimp if necessary. Count the shrimp and cut that many half-strips of bacon. Reserve shrimp and bacon.

Combine remaining ingredients and grind in a blender or mini-processor. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the shrimp, and mix well to coat shrimp thoroughly.

Leaving on as much rub as will stay, wrap each shrimp in a spiral with a half-strip bacon, beginning at the head end of the shrimp and ending at the tail. All or almost all the shrimp should be covered by bacon. Secure the bacon snugly with a bamboo or decorative metal skewer as follows: Thread the skewer first through the bacon at tail end of the shrimp, then into the shrimp body near the tail; then push the skewer out near the head end of the shrimp and through the remaining bacon end.

Lay shrimp out, spaced apart, on an ungreased, low-rimmed baking sheet. (Shrimp can be prepared to this point up to a day in advance. Wrap securely and store refrigerated.)

When ready to cook and serve shrimp: Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Bake shrimp in preheated oven 12 – 15 minutes or until bacon is just done to your liking (the shrimp will be done). Accompany with Spicy Thai Cocktail Sauce.

Spicy Thai Cocktail Sauce
Makes about 3/4 cup

1/2 cup tomato-based chili sauce, such as Heinz
1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
3/4 teaspoon minced lime zest

Mix all ingredients well. Can be made up to 3 days in advance. Store refrigerated.
Copyright © 2009 Kathy Casey Food Studios ®