International Bacon Day!

Saturday is International Bacon Day and Purina Beggin'® Strips is sponsoring the The Beggin’® Bacon Bash, which will feature special cooking demonstrations by Top Chef season 6 finalist Kevin Gillespie!

This dog-friendly family event will take place from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. at the Blue Ash Recreation Center, 4433 Cooper Road, in Cincinnati - one of the largest pork-producing cities in the United States.

For more information on the event, go to http://beggintime.com/baconFest.aspx.

To get you into the bacon-y mood, here are a couple of Kevin's recipes:

Spicy Bacon Popcorn
1/3 cup organic popping corn
3 T + 12g melted bacon fat
2 tsp espelette pepper
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tsp popcorn salt
¼ C finely grated parmesan
8g tapioca maltodextrin

Place three tablespoons of bacon fat in bottom of popcorn machine. Add popping corn and allow machine to run until the popping slows. Remove from the machine and toss in a mixing bowl with espelette, black pepper, salt, and parmesan. Mix remaining bacon fat with tapioca maltodextrin. Sprinkle bacon powder over popcorn and serve.

Bacon Whoopie Pies

½ C unsalted butter, room temperature
1 C dark brown sugar
½ C granulated sugar
¼ C turbinado sugar
2 large eggs
½ C molasses
2 T grapeseed oil
2 C AP flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp kosher salt

Bacon Buttercream
12 egg whites
1 Tbsp salt
3 C dark brown sugar
36 oz butter
½ C rendered bacon fat

Combine together butter, granulated, and brown sugar and whisk on high speed in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in eggs, molasses, and oil and whisk to combine. Add in flour and all dry spices and salt and allow to mix until just combined. Roll cookie dough into a cylinder in plastic wrap and refrigerate over night. Slice cookies into ¼ inch disks and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Bake at 400 degrees until the edges are set, and the center is still soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before using.

For the buttercream place the sugar and enough water to dissolve it in a heavy bottom saucepot. Bring to a boil and cook to 236 degrees Fahrenheit. While the sugar is cooking place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer and fit it with the whisk attachment. Begin whisking the whites on high speed once the sugar reaches the desired temperature. Remove the sugar from the heat and begin pouring it into the mixer in a thin stream slowly. Allow the mixture to whisk until the bowl cools to room temperature. Once cool add in butter and bacon fat and whisk on high until the mixture is light and fluffy. Fill reserved cookie sandwiches with icing.