Good beginnings include bacon

It's fitting to me that the first recipe posted here is some sort of bacon-related experiment.  Inspiration came while reading Ari Weinzweig's (co-founder of Zingerman's and generally a genius about food) Guide to Better Bacon when I got to the final recipe on Chocolate Bacon Gravy, common and regularly consumed in southern Appalachian regions of the US - including as I have come to learn, in my own extended family, many of whom reside in central Kentucky.  If gravy makes for a fine friendship between chocolate and bacon, then brownies must be an epic love affair.  I certainly don't fool myself into believing I am the first nor will I be the last to make a brownie, bacon style - but I'm pleased with the results.  I also share this recipe with the full understanding that there are plenty of ways to pretty it up with caramel, ganache, brown sugar candied crispy bacon bits - but this recipe is kind of wonderful in it's simplicity...

Bacon Brownies
Ingredients:

1 stick + 8 TB butter

2-3 TB rendered bacon fat

8 oz chopped dark chocolate

6 slices Applewood Smoked Bacon

1 ¾ C all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp + ¼ tsp coarse kosher salt

1 ½ C sugar

½ C light brown sugar

4 lg eggs

2 tsp vanilla



Chocolate:

Fry bacon till crispy, set aside

Over double boiler, melt butter, chocolate & bacon fat, add well chopped or crumbled bacon to melting chocolate – stir till smooth

Dry:

Combine flour, baking powder, ½ tsp salt

Blend:

Whisk together sugars, eggs & vanilla 2-3 mins on med-high speed till fairly fluffy. Pour in chocolate mixture, blend. Add dry ingredients & mix till combined.

Bake:

Transfer to buttered parchment lined 9x13 baking dish, sprinkle very lightly with last ¼ tsp of salt (optional) and bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.