When my Aunt called to tell me about Easter Brunch, I asked what I could bring. She said I was in charge of bacon. I’m now known as the bacon lady to my family.
I really wanted to get some more wild boar bacon, but I just didn’t have the time to drive out to Exotic Meats in Bellevue. Instead, I walked over to Trader Joe’s, praying that they weren’t out of Niman Ranch Applewood Smoked Bacon. Luckily they were fully stocked so I picked up two packages and headed over to my Aunt’s. I also brought along the guanciale I bought at Salumi, thinking I could fry a few slices up for a special treat.
The Niman Ranch bacon was delicious, as usual, but the guanciale was very salty and somewhat fatty. The flavor was great, but bold. I think it’s supposed to be used more like pancetta, where it’s an ingredient in something and not the main show. The brunch was beautiful and delicious:
Eggs benedict with ham
Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream
Fruit platter
Niman Ranch bacon
Salumi guanciale
Asparagus
Hotcross buns
Good call on the Gwonk. Yeah, not the main show. I made the mistake of stuffing a tri tip beef roast with it, didn’t render out. Although the beef was stellar and the gravy was nearly best ever. The gwonk was just too much for that.
Biggles
Oh no! I noticed that too—it took a really long time to render out all the fat. I did find the perfect recipe for guanciale though… Bucatini all’Amatriciana!