Rooftop Gourmet

Shellfish, Pig, and Fruit… sounds crazy right? Trust me on this one;  the combination is absolutely delicious. After a long day at work I was in the mood for something quick and simple for dinner. As I strolled through the supermarket, the first thing that caught my eye were the bright red, plump strawberries. I threw a package in my cart with the intention of having a healthy dessert as opposed to the typical cheese plate or ice cream. After wandering around for another 20 minutes with nothing to show for it in my cart but a lonely box of strawberries, I got an idea. I still had some leftover Double Smoked Bacon in the fridge that I could pair with the fresh fruit.

 I don’t know where this idea came from, but if you still can’t grasp it… think about the strawberry jam you spread on your toast at brunch dropping  into your bacon. The marriage between the smoky, salty bacon and the sweet, and tart strawberries are a match made in heaven (very similar to a Hawaiian pizza: pineapple and bacon).

 I picked up some fresh shrimp and headed home to get started. My goal was to bring these three bold flavors to life by keeping the preparation simple and hoping that they would all come together as a complete dish. Each ingredient is typically eaten on it’s own anyway and I thought it would be interesting to combine all three.

After some tedious peeling and de-veining  of the shrimp, I threw them on the grill while the bacon was rendering on the stove. The entire apartment reeked of savory bacon which kept my brief stint on the deck even more brief. I simply tossed the warm shrimp, with a slight char on them, together with the sliced strawberries and the crispy bacon strips. A squirt of fresh lemon juice and a little salt and pepper completed the dish, creating a perfect harmony of all three ingredients.

The warmth of the bacon and shrimp elevated the natural aromatic essence that strawberries have, perfuming the room. Each bite was delectable and surprising, ranging from sweet and salty to briny and smoky.

The contrasting textures were a plus as well going from the crispy bacon, to the fleshy berry, and finishing with the pop of the shellfish. I decided to pair this dish with a wine that is just as simple yet complex as the food was. The 2008 Forefront Sauvignon Blanc is new project by Pine Ridge Wines, which offers more affordable wines with the same Pine Ridge quality. This wine is composed of 67% Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma, and 33% Sauvignon Blanc from Napa.

The blending of the grapes from neighboring appellations gives this white balance and complexity. The Napa Valley fruit brings the crisp acidity while the Sonoma fruit compliments it with a rich mouthfeel. This is a very approachable wine that has classic grapefruit flavors as well as some lime and honeydew melon. The subtleness and acidity was just what this complex dish needed as its counterpart. Unfortunately I ate all my strawberries with dinner so I was forced to settle with ice cream for dessert.

Most of the dishes that I create are packed with tons of intense, bold flavors which is why I love wines from the Grateful Palate. The Grateful Palate is a gourmet food catalog and wine importing company based in Oxnard, California. The founder, Dan Phillips imports tons of Austrailian wines that are loaded with jaw dropping intensity and extreme flavor. His goal is “to make food and wine culture more egalitarian– and more fun”; which he does with his clever names and wine labels.

Two years ago, I discovered that Dan and I had something in common… we’re both bacon fanatics! I don’t know where my obsession with pig came from, but not only do I ogle over artisanally smoked bacon products, I am also hoping to get a pet pig someday. A few years ago, I joined Dan’s “Bacon of the Month” club (www.gratefulpalate.com) and immediately I was hooked. Every month, I would get a shipment of bacon delivered to my door, straight from small farms and producers all over the country. I was fascinated at how each and every one was completely different and it reminded me of winemaking. There are so many different contributing factors that go into making wine, and creating bacon. Starting with the breed of pig, what you feed it, the cut of meat, what type of wood you smoke it with, how thick you cut it, and so on.

The other day, I came across a product that Dan claims to be the greatest bacon known to man…or pig; Mahogony Smoked Meats Double Smoked Bacon. I knew these slabs were going to pack a punch because I could smell them through the vaccum-sealed bag. I knew had to create a dish that wouldn’t get overpowered by the bacon…. or the wine; the 2007 Chris Ringland Barossa Valley Shiraz is a monster! Knowing that I really had to step it up in the flavor department, I chose to base the dish around three of my favorite ingredients… bacon, black peppercorns, and pungent Gorgonzola cheese.

It was a bold move, but assembling my first meatloaf was actually pretty fun. I started off with ground chuck meat, onions, red bell pepper, garlic-butter flavored croutons, eggs, and milk. Halfway through packing it into the loaf pan, I studded the center with tons of crumbled Gorgonzola, creating a sneak attack of flavor. I covered the entire loaf with the double mahogany smoked bacon and popped it into the oven to bake, letting the bacon fat render and weave throughout the meat.

While I was impatiently waiting for this colossal beast to come to temperature, I made a quick Bechamel sauce and stirred in another brick of Gorgonzola, followed by a handful of freshly cracked black peppercorns.

 Much to my girlfriend’s disgust, I store tubs of fat in the fridge for times like this. Why let something so delicious go to waste? While she covered her eyes, I spooned out two golf ball-size hunks of bacon fat and let them render in a small frying pan. When it was warm, I whisked in some dark brown sugar, creating a beautifully sweet, and glossy pork fat glaze to baste the meatloaf with.

When the meatloaf was done, the bacon was golden brown and crispy, shimmering with sweetness and ready to be devoured. I sliced it nice and thick, bisecting the Gorgonzola vein that ran throughout the loaf and plated it with some homemade cornbread and brussel sprouts. After a healthy drizzle of the racy, Gorgonzola sauce, we were ready to dig in.

 The meat was moist and well seasoned, while the bacon added some texture and smokiness. It was like the Pro Bowl for intensely flavored ingredients… the best of the best all coming together to create a meal that in my opinion could only be paired up with a Barossa Valley Shiraz such as this one. The wine was dark purple; almost inky black in color and delivered gobs of flavor and weight. Aromas of roasted coffee, cherries, and spice on the nose, followed by a surprisingly pleasant mouth feel.

This wine tasted like dark chocolate covered blackberries with a finish that lasted forever. My mouth was literally in shock. Between the wine and the meatloaf, my palate was getting bombarded with flavor. After tasting bacon this good, I decided that getting a pet pig wasn’t such a good idea.