The Baconian Method

Great Scott! It's a combination that only Sir Francis himself could have concocted—bacon (yes, bacon), peanuts, butter and sugar—making a memorable, distinct, decadent confectionary sensation—called Sir Francis Peanut Brittle. It's a whole different kind of Georgian peanut brittle and a must try. The peanuts are of the Spanish variety, which has a tinge of sweetness, an ideal quality for sweets. The Bacon comes from the lgendary Benton's smokeshouse. No expanation needed there. Just the best Tennessee smoker. 

Why called Sir Francis Bacon? It only makes sense. He's the only scientific pioneer whose dedication to scientific methods and undying dedication to his work ended by him experimenting with the preservation of meats. Could he actually have invented bacon?

Sir Francis Bacon Peanut Brittle

The Apiarist's Cake

As summer begins to fade and we settle into the back-to-school rhythm of things, the phrase busy as bees takes on a whole new meaning; closing pools, fall clean-ups and many outdoors chores. 

Eating locally made honey helps build your immune system. A bee keeper, aka an apiarist may manage a colony of bees that can have upwards of 50,000 members. But, the art of the apiarist is not only about making honey, it's more about the preservation business these days. 

I talked bees with J. Smith, who takes his bees very seriously. He is based in County Kerry, Ireland where he has devoted his life to preserving the species and is constantly spreading the word of the critical condition the bee population is in globally. The one thing he said that really stuck with me was his explanation of how the bee colonies "live together with a collective consciousness - something humanity should adopt." His honey is available for local merchants and markets; sustainability is paramount.

The perfect combination of locally made honey and citrus is what inspired today's post, as seen on an episode of GH Living it UP! Enjoy a slice of my Orange Honey Cake with a hot cup of Barry's Tea, a Good Stuff pick. BTW - this recipe is a really easy one to whip up for a impromptu gathering since you can make, bake and eat this cake, all in under one hour! Enjoy!

For My Orange Honey Cake Recipe

Put Some Joy Into Your Life

It's simple; with an ice cream cone. So much focus is usually on the ice cream, but the foundation of every ice cream cone is a good tasting cone. The Joy Cone Co. began it's waffle cone biz in 1918. It is now the largest cone making company in the world, baking more than a billion cones per year. They are using the same recipes that gave their cones the Joy label; making both sugar and waffer cones. Made in the USA. 

Family ties, attention to detail, and old-fashioned quality are the ingredients that make our cones a Joy to sample. We have built our company by making the best cones in the world.  Joy Cone Co.

established 1575

It's a true millers tale. The Bacheldre Mill with its waterwheel-and-all still stands and mills flour the old fashioned way, stone ground - since 1575. Tucked between England and Wales (in the Welsh Marches), millers Matt and Anne Scott have revived and put a golden star on their award winning organic flours; supplying the discriminating home baker and Michelin Star restaurants.

Available globally. 

Moules Marinières

Summer is in full swing. That and coastal living makes me say “hello seafood.” My rule with cooking seafood is the simpler, the better; as well as believing in keeping it as local as possible. So when traveling to locations known for seafood, I take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy eating fresh and local. Recently, I had Bantry’s mussels & oysters in Ireland - yes, they live up to their reputation. You may be able to find Bantry mussels in your grocer’s freezer along with New Zealand; but to me it's not my preference compared to eating local. Some other leading mussel cultivars are Spain, and of course North America's Prince Edward Island in Canada. 

The classical way I learned to cook mussels years ago is called Moules Marinières, or mussels in the style of the sea, synonymous with summers in France. I have prepared versions of this style on air with my TV shows. This happens to be a crowd favorite every time with my TV crew. They are amazed at how simple it is to prepare. See for yourself, TV segment here. The only way to improve this recipe is add some crisp Pommes Frites. I would also approval of a creamy Belgium beer to wash it all down with. 

Here’s a good tip: The jewel in eating mussels is to get the right balance of the mussel meat with the fantastic broth juices that come from cooking the mussels with wine, garlic and herbs. No utensils needed, use the mussel's shell as your spoon. Pick up the freshly steamed mussel in the opened hinged ‘valve’ (the shell). Break the valve in-half, discard one half of the shell. With the second half valve (shell) that now has the mussel meat, dip the half-shell and mussel meat into the warm broth scooping up just the right amount of juice to meat. Now, politely slurp the mussel along with the broth in the same mouthful. Mouth watering. Heaven! Sometimes I see others do a dip using a fork, but they are missing the gold, the broth!

Try this next time you prepare mussels, instead of using a fork and dipping into the broth that will just slide off your mussel meat. What to do with empty shells? I have observed other connoisseurs of mussel eating that includes arranging the eaten empty half valves into unique patterns on plates. 

Simple and ready in minutes. But do yourself a favor, have plenty of good bread on hand to dip and soak up any leftover broth. Summer - here we come!

Video Recipe.

George Hirsch Cooking & Lifestyle TV Segment: Mussels Recipe