Bacon & Cashew brittle, a recipe using Honey Bee Zen honey by Chef Bruno Feldeisen, from his The Bacon, Butter, Bourbon & Chocolate Cookbook. Photo credit: Henry M Wu
Over our years at The Vancouver Sun and Province Amanda and I indulged in making nut brittle as holiday gifts to co-workers. But now, we have a new twist on that recipe, courtesy of our friend, the extraordinary Chef Bruno Feldeisen, one of the judges on The Great Canadian Baking Show. He’s graciously allowed us to use his sublime brittle recipe from his new cookbook, The Bacon, Butter, Bourbon & Chocolate Cookbook (2024, Whitecap Books, ISBN 9781770503335) It calls for bacon, cashew, and of course, our honey. Here’s another recipe of his for Bacon Bourbon Jam.
Let me introduce you to Bruno’s creations!
BACON and CASHEW BRITTLE
By Chef Bruno Feldeisen
The Bacon, Butter, Bourbon & Chocolate Cookbook
Makes 36 pieces
Crunchy, chewy and salty, this brittle recipe is a perfect mashup of texture and sweet and savoury flavours. It’s the perfect snack to enjoy with red wine, or you can chop the brittle into smaller piece to sprinkle on top of vanilla, coffee or chocolate ice cream.
INGREDIENTS
¼ cups (60mL) whipping cream
¼ cup (60 mL) water
¼ cup (60 mL) Honey Bee Zen Fireweed Honey or Swan Valley Kootenay Wildflower Honey
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract
1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar
¼ cup (60 mL) light brown sugar
½ cup (125 ml) softened unsalted butter
½ cup (125 mL) crispy bacon bits*
1 cup (250 mL) chopped cashews
¼ cup (60 mL) toasted sesame seeds
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
¼ tsp (1 mL) ground cinnamon
INSTRUCTIONS
In a medium saucepan, combine the whipping cream, water, honey, vanilla and both sugars. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reached a temperature of 255° F (125° C). Remove from heat and whisk in the butter.
Return pan to the stove and bring the mixture to a boil while continuously stirring until the mixture reaches 290° F (145° C). Remove from heat and stir in the bacon, cashews, sesame seeds, baking soda and cinnamon. Let it sit for 2 minutes until no longer foaming.
Spread the mixture onto a parchment-lined baking tray in a thin layer and place on a cooling rack. Once cooled, snap brittle into 1 ½-inch (4 cm) triangles and store in an airtight container in a cool place up to 1 month.
CRISPY BACON BITS
Makes 1 cup (250 mL) chopped bacon bits
Good, tasty bacon is all about the right balance of flavours created by the curing, the quality of the meat and how the smoking is done. Picking the right product is important.
INGREDIENTS
1 Tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
10 bacon strips
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to350 F (175 C)
In a large sauté pan, heat the canola oil over medium hat. Add the bacon slices and fry until crispy. Remove sauté pan from heat, using a pair of cooking tings, place the fried bacon on a paper towel-lined baking tray to allow the fat to drain.
Bacon Bits:
Once cooled, place bacon strips on a cutting board and chop into small pieces using a large chef’s knife. Place the chopped bacon bits on a parchment-lined baking tray and place in oven for 5 minutes to dry.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Place in an airtight container until needed.
Chef Bruno Feldeisen’s new cookbook, The Bacon, Butter, Bourbon & Chocolate Cookbook. Photo Credit: Henry M Wu