A marriage made in heaven: Bacon Wrapped Brie

The holiday season has always been, for me and for so many of us, a time of indulgence. Food, drink, talking myself hoarse among loved one to excess, all part of the gameplan. In the spirit of indulgence, I bring you a very special treat, commonly referred to as a "small wheel of pure sin" in my house, but for the sake of brevity it will be plainly known in the shop as "Bacon Wrapped Brie".

The inspiration for this ridiculously delicious little morsel comes from our favorite neighborhood shop back in Brooklyn, Bedford Cheese Shop. One Thanksgiving or Christmas many years ago we made our usual stop there to stock up on decadent treats before heading to the family's homestead for a few days of eating ourselves stupid, and they had this glorious little gem tucked into the wee side of the case, almost hidden, which I can now understand seeing as they may have had the privilege of taking home those unsold.

It was a small disc of a ripe, punchy brie, wrapped in locally produced, cured bacon.

We snapped it up and salivated the entire 4 hour drive to New Hampshire, thinking and talking about how awesome it would be to sear that baby into a molten, gooey glob of salty pork and tangy curd. What we eventually experienced far exceeded our wildest dreams, and I could not pass up the opportunity to re-create it during this, my first of many holiday seasons.

Bacon on anything tends to be a no-brainer, for sure, but I find myself in an especially fortunate situation sharing market space with Rain Shadow Meats, procurers of the most amazing double smoked Colorado bacon I've ever laid my tastebuds upon. The difficult choice for this project was the cheese - it needed to be affordable, with a thick rind that could hold up to a bit of heat, with enough punchy flavor to stand up to the salty bacon fat, but not enough to compete with it. The clear winner: Weybridge. This modest 3.5 oz. round is everything you want in a well-balanced brie; creamy, buttery pate with a slight tangy kick that intensifies just so when you reach the hearty but not-too-thick rind. Made with love by Scholten Family Farm in Weybridge, VT, this palatable cheese makes it's way to the west coast via the Cellars at Jasper Hill.  I've been eating this cheese for a while now, and have taken much notice to how well it holds its form as it warms, which led me to believe that it would melt like a dream just as the bacon began to crisp, and I was right. Oooohhhhh so deliciously right!

Here is a photo montage of the trial run tonight at our house:

A perfectly ripe disc of Weybridge

wrapped in bacon!

securing the bottom with a couple toothpicks

Searing begins top down, on high heat

Just a little sear to each side piece for good measure

Bottom down now and the cheese is starting to melt and crisp on the pan, mmmm

Bacon seared to just crispy, cheese is a glorious puddle of fromage!

Sliced and ready to inhale, was lucky to nab this shot before we gobbled it like starved children

I will be honest - once cut into this frankenbaconcheese does not present well, but who cares?  It's bacon and cheese, what's not to love??

We'll be selling these beautiful babies at the shop this Thursday 12/16 through Christmas Eve.  They are intended for immediate consumption, so please plan accordingly.  We will be assembling and taking hold requests for them on a daily basis, so please call the shop at 206.467.5447 to secure yours now.
Also note, they are small discs, once cooked can provide a hearty taste for a group of four, or an appetizer if you're a glutton like me, for two.