What’s better than bacon? Candied bacon with rich, earthy flavors of coffee, sweet maple syrup, caramelized sugar and spicy black pepper.
This recipe is dangerously easy to make, with only a few ingredients: bacon, freshly roasted coffee (I like using a full-bodied, dark roast such as the Sumatra Aceh), sugar, maple syrup and a touch of black pepper. Word of advice? Make this in small batches – or at least have friends over to share the results with. Otherwise before you know it, you’ll have consumed a shameful amount of bacon all by yourself. (Yup, I’m speaking from personal experience.)
Coffee-Maple Candied Bacon
Slightly adapted from Chomp and Thrive
12 oz. sliced, uncooked bacon (preferably thick-cut)
1/3 cup sugar
2 tbsp finely ground coffee (such as our Sumatra Aceh)
1 tbsp maple syrup
Black pepper (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Lay the bacon slices out on the baking sheet. In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, coffee and maple syrup.
3. Spread the coffee and sugar mixture on the slices of bacon, flipping to coat both sides.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the sugars caramelize and the bacon gets crisp. Sprinkle on a bit of black pepper to taste. Allow the bacon to cool for a few minutes and then enjoy!
The French Press is a simple manual coffee brewing method that was patenting in 1929 by an Italian designer. (Yes, Italian – but they say the first press was likely made in France). It’s a convenient way to brew great coffee – no filters are required, you can brew multiple cups at once with a larger press and a design like the Frieling (pictured here) brings serving coffee to the next level.
We recommend making French Press coffee with our Ethiopian Harrar for a bright cup of coffee with notes of strawberry. If you prefer chocolatey and smoky notes, try this brewing method with our Growers First Honduras coffee.
How to Brew with a French Press
The Tools:
1. Measure out 54 grams of coffee for an 8 cup French Press. If you’re not using a kitchen scale, use about 9-10 tablespoons of coffee or 1 tablespoon for 2 cups of water.
2. Set your grinder to a very coarse grind. On our Baratza Virtuoso grinder we use a setting of 30. Grind the beans and pour them into the French Press.
3. Add water. Use water that’s just off a boil, about 202 degrees F. If you don’t have a thermometer, bring the pot to a boil, remove from heat and then let it sit for 30 seconds. For the 8 cup press we use 725 grams of water.
4. Let the coffee steep for 4 minutes.
5. Insert the plunger and carefully press down.
6. Pour and enjoy!
Imagine this scenario…
You spend hours, maybe days or even weeks preparing for a huge Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends. The day finally arrives to enjoy a perfectly cooked turkey, savory stuffing and buttery mashed potatoes. Everything is done to perfection.
Dessert rolls around. Time to break out those decadent pies – and along with the pies? Coffee.
Don’t end the meal on a bad cup. Why not craft that after-dinner coffee as carefully as you made the entire meal?
FreshGround Roasting coffee is freshly roasted from high quality beans to ensure you serve your friends and family the best cup possible. Better yet, why not brew that after-dinner coffee in a Chemex or French Press? Your guests will be impressed not only by the full flavor from each of these methods but also by their beautiful design.
Check out our current coffee offerings as well as brewing methods fit for entertaining. The Chemex brewer comes in sizes that are 6, 8 or 10 cups and the stainless steel French Press is available in sizes from 8oz to 36oz, making it easy and stylish to brew great coffee for family and friends.
Don’t overlook the coffee this holiday season. Have a great meal from the first bite to the last drop.
Need some brewing tips? Click here for a Chemex brewing tutorial and here for a French Press tutorial.