Serves: 4

Recipe courtesy John Besh for Food Network Magazine

• Ingredients

For the Oysters
2 dozen oysters
For the Aioli:
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
For the Ragout:
1 cup diced thick-sliced hickory-smoked bacon
1 or 2 shallots, minced
1 cup wild mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
Leaves of 1 sprig fresh thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

• preparation

Buy the oysters. When buying oysters, look for a tag with the harvest date and use them within a week of that date. Also, make sure the oysters are fresh and alive; the shells should be tightly closed or should close when tapped.
An hour before shucking, scrub the oysters with a stiff brush under cold running water to remove any grit. Set them aside to relax muscles in shell. They will open with more ease.

Shuck the oysters. Hold the oyster, curved-side down, in a towel on a cutting board. Insert an oyster knife between the shells at the narrow pointed end. (Use a real oyster knife-there is no substitute!) Press down firmly on the oyster to prevent slipping and twist the knife to pry the shells apart. Use the knife for leverage; do not use force. Cut the muscle that connects the oyster to the top shell with the knife, being careful not to pierce the meat. Remove the top shell. Slide your knife under the oyster to loosen it, keeping the meat and liquid in the shell. Use your knife to carefully scrape away any shards of shell.

Make the aioli. Blend the garlic, egg yolks, lemon juice and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil with the motor running and process until thick. Use a rubber spatula to transfer the aioli to a bowl, then cover and refrigerate.

Prepare the ragout. Cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat, stirring, until crisp. Add the shallots and mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, stirring. Add the garlic, cook 3 minutes, then add the butter and thyme. Season with salt and pepper.

Assemble the oysters. Preheat the broiler. Place the oysters, in their shells, in individual baking dishes or one large dish. (Put a crumpled sheet of foil underneath them to keep them steady, if necessary.) Top each with a spoonful of mushroom ragout.

Finish the dish. Top each oyster with a dollop of aeoli. Broil until the aeoli is golden, about 2 minutes, and serve immediately.

Serves: 4

This salad is perfect to take to parties or get-togethers.

• Ingredients

1/2 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons chili sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
3 cups elbow macaroni, cooked
1/2 cup tomato, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons green onions, chopped
3 cups lettuce, shredded
4 slices cooked bacon, crumbled

• preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the first four ingredients; mix well.
2. Add the macaroni, tomato and onions; toss to coat.
3. Cover and refrigerate.
4. Just before serving, add lettuce and bacon; toss to coat

Serves: 4

• Ingredients

4 croissants split in halves lengtwise
8 eggs, scrambled
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled
8 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese (2 oz

• preparation

Heat oven to 400°F.
Lightly grease or spray cookie sheet.
Place croissant halves 1 inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake 5 minutes.
Divide scrambled eggs among croissants. Crumble bacon on top of eggs.
Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon cheese.
Bake about 5 minutes.

Serves: 6

• Ingredients

6 chicken breasts
to taste salt and pepper
1/4 cup flour
4 ounces diced bacon
2 teaspoons Cognac
3 cup burgundy wine
2 cups chicken stock
2 cloves minced garlic
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
24 pearl onions
8 ounces mushrooms
4 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon cornstarch

• preparation

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dredge in flour. Fry bacon in a frying pan until crisp. Brown chicken in bacon fat on all sides.
Pour the cognac over chicken.
Ignite then add wine, stock, garlic, thyme and bay leaf.
Cover chicken and cook in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and boil the pearl onions until tender. Saute onions and mushrooms in half of butter. Add to chicken together with bacon. Mix remaining butter and cornstarch.
Arrange chicken pieces in a deep serving dish.
Thicken the sauce with butter mixture whisking until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Pour sauce over chicken.

Serves: 4

• Ingredients

4 muffin halves, toasted
4 slices Canadian bacon or sliced ham
4 poached eggs
1 cup Hollandaise

• preparation

Split English muffins in halves and toast to crispness.
Poach the eggs in an egg poacher or in boiling water containing a small amount of vinegar. The vinegar prevents the egg white from spreading. Poach till whites are set, though not chewy. The yolk can range from runny to almost set, depending on personal preference.
Canadian bacon or pea meal bacon.
Canadian bacon comes from the pork loin. It is leaner than bacon and is cured like ham. Canadian bacon should be grilled.
If using ordinary sliced ham, grill until brown but not dry.
To serve:
Arrange bacon or ham on buttered toasted muffins. Top with hot poached eggs. Spoon the hollandaise over eggs. Serve hot without delay.

Serves: 4

The best way to cook bacon is in the oven on parchment paper because it allows for an easy cleanup. The bacon sits in its own rendered fat as it bakes, it cooks more quickly than if you cooked it on a rack. The fatty parts also get wonderfully crispy.

• Ingredients

1/2 sliced bacon

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

1.Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Make sure to cut a large-enough sheet of parchment paper so that there is overhang on all sides. Then fold the excess up so that the drippings don’t seep through any cracks.
Lay the bacon strips flat, making sure pieces do not overlap.
2. Bake until crisp and browned, 15 to 18 minutes, 24 minutes (thick-cut bacon), rotating the sheets once.
3. Transfer strips to a paper towel to drain.
Let the drippings cool slightly, lift up the parchment, and store the drippings into a container.

Serves: 8

• Ingredients

2 ounces dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 large shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 scallions, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
One 3-pound center-cut trimmed beef tenderloin in 1 piece
3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
7 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, chilled

• preparation

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Soak the porcini in the boiling water for 20 minutes. Rub the porcini in the soaking liquid to remove any grit; pat dry and coarsely chop. Transfer the porcini to a mini food processor and puree.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet. Add the shallots and cook over moderately low heat until softened. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the scallions and cook until softened, 2 minutes. Stir in the porcini puree. Season with salt and pepper. Let cool.

Season the roast with salt and pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet. Sear the roast over moderately high heat until browned all over; let cool.

On a work surface, slightly overlap three 16-inch pieces of wax paper. Arrange the pancetta on the paper in 4 overlapping rows to form a rectangle the length of the tenderloin. Spread the porcini puree over the pancetta. Set the tenderloin on the bottom edge of the pancetta. Using the wax paper as a guide, tightly roll up the roast in the pancetta. Carefully peel off the wax paper.

Tie the roast with kitchen string at 1-inch intervals. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and brush with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil. Roast the beef for 25 minutes, or until the pancetta is crisp and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the meat registers 120 degrees.

Let rest for 10 minutes. Cut off the strings and remove. Thickly slice the roast with a serrated knife and serve.

Serves: 6

• Ingredients

8 oz bacon slices
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cups cubed peeled potatoes
1 small carrot, grated
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups 2% milk
8 ounces cheddar cheese, cubed
2 green onions, thinly sliced, optional

• preparation

1. Partially freeze your package of bacon so that it holds together easier while slicing.
2. Use a sharp knife and cut the frozen bacon into long strips about 1/4 inch wide.
3. Turn the bacon and cut the strips into pieces also about 1/4 in wide.
4. Sprinkle with pepper.
5. Fry in a large saucepan over a medium high heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan.
Save 1/4 cup of bacon dripping in the saucepan. Add butter and mix in the flour cooking over medium heat for a minute while stirring occasionally. Add the vegetables, seasonings and broth and milk; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.
Stir in cheese until melted. Serve with bacon bits and garnish with green onions.

Serves: 10

• Ingredients

5 pounds potatoes
5 slices bacon
4 ounces butter
2 ounces chopped onion
to taste salt

• preparation

Boil the potatoes in their skin in salted boiling water.
Peel potatoes when cool then grate coarsely.
Cut bacon slices across into small pieces. Fry until crisp. Saute onions with butter.
Add the potatoes and bacon bits. Season with salt. Mix well while turning the potatoes. Brown both sides of the potato cake and serve hot.

Serves: 4

• Ingredients

4 cups fiddleheads, trimmed and cleaned
8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
salt and pepper to taste

• preparation

Cook the fiddleheads in salted boiling water until tender. Drain. Brown the pancetta in a skillet.
Add the fiddleheads and sauté for 2 minutes or until hot. Season to taste.

Serves: 4

15-20 minutes

• Ingredients

4 slices bacon
4 small veal cutlets
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup sherry
8 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1 cup fiddleheads, trimmed and cleaned

• preparation

Cut bacon across into small pieces. Cook in a skillet until brown. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Season the veal cutlets with salt and pepper. Dust with flour. Sauté veal in skillet with bacon fat until browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove veal from pan. Cover and keep warm.
Melt the butter in the skillet. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Add the sherry and deglaze the pan.
Add the shiitakes, fiddleheads and reserved bacon, and cook for 5 minutes.
Divide the veal among 4 plates. Spoon the sauce over and serve immediately.