Bacon+Cheddar+Pear Quick Bread

Above: A serving suggestion for this bread is as an apertif with a drink before dinner, as shown top, and below, breaking it down to quality ingredients: the shredded and cubed cheddar, chopped bacon, dried pears, fresh rosemary and walnut pieces that come together to make this bread amazing.

I spent most of this morning clearing out old cooking magazines that have accumulated over the years. I simply cannot toss them in the recycling without revisiting the glossy pics and recipes that inspire ambitious menus. I found myself pausing the most often at recipes that utilize all the luscious summer fruits, berries, plums, peaches, etc. I'm especially excited about the Farmer's Market this summer, given the tragic death of our small Farmer's Market in Westwood, I am craving time amongst the stalls piled high with fresh produce. The recipe today, however, is revisiting the theme of the last post about savory breads. Dorie Greenspan, a contributing author to Gourmet and Bon Appetít, and of her own blogwww.doriegreenspan.com, recently featured this Bacon Cheddar and Dried Pear bread. It is an absolutely fantastic recipe! My friend Katie commented that eating a slice is akin to a treasure hunt- one bite brings a gooey cube of warm cheddar, the next a salty crispy bacon bit and the next a sweet and chewy pear piece. I decided to substitute rosemary for the sage in the recipe, and then ended up forgetting to mix it in! I chopped it and sprinkled it over the top last minute, which made for a colorful presentation. Warm from the oven or toasted the next morning with a little bit of butter, this bread is one I plan on definitely making again. It would be fun to play around with mixing different combos of meat, cheese and dried fruit to customize your own version with what you like or have on hand!

Recipe: Bacon-Cheddar Quick Bread with Dried Pears

INGREDIENTS

• 5 bacon slices, chopped
• 1 cup coarsely grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese plus 1/2 cup 1/4-inch cubes extra-sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces total)
• 1 cup finely chopped moist dried pears (about 3 1/2 ounces)
• 1/3 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 large eggs
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

PREPARATION

• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Generously butter 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch metal loaf pan. Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.
• Combine bacon, all cheese, dried pears, walnuts, and sage in medium bowl. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, and black pepper in large bowl to blend. Whisk eggs, milk, and olive oil in another medium bowl to blend. Pour egg mixture over flour mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Add bacon-cheese mixture and stir until incorporated (dough will be very sticky). Transfer dough to prepared loaf pan; spread evenly.
• Bake bread until golden on top and slender knife inserted into center of bread comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool bread in pan 5 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic, then foil, and store at room temperature.
  From Bon Appetít: http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2008/10/bacon_cheddar_quick_bread_with_dried_pears