Next Up: My Favorite Macaroni Salad

Bacon and Egg Doughnuts! Perfect for Real and Made-Up Holidays

I’ve always wanted to try making some kind of sweet/savory bacon-studded fritter using pâte à choux, also known as that stuff you make cream puffs with. It’s such beautifully rich, eggy dough, yet fries up to a surprisingly light, puffy texture.

Today is National Doughnut Day, as you know if you’ve been on Twitter in the last 48 hours, and so I decided to give it a go, and called it a "doughnut" in a cheap attempt to garner extra National Doughnut Day web traffic. That's also why I keep mentioning National Doughnut Day.

I went full breakfast theme, and topped mine with a little maple syrup, but feel free to get your beignet on, and cover them with a pile of powdered sugar. That’s not my preference, due to the mustache issue mentioned in the clip, but people with hair-free lips seem to like it.

Whether you’re going to surprise dad with a plate of these for Fathers Day, or you just want to tell your friends and co-workers you made bacon and egg doughnuts, I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 8 to 10 small Bacon and Egg Doughnuts:

(this is a half a recipe, so I would highly recommend doubling everything)

6 strips bacon, sliced, browned, cooled, and chopped (save some for the tops)

1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp cold water

4 tbsp unsalted butter

1/8 tsp salt

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch of fresh nutmeg

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

vegetable oil for deep frying

maple syrup to garnish

- Fry at 350 F. for about 7 minutes, turning often, until puffed and well-browned

* If doing in batches, hold in a warm oven

Grilled Garlic & Herb Shrimp – Why We Grow Our Own

Now that we all have our very own culinary herb gardens, I thought I’d post a recipe that takes full advantage. This grilled garlic and herb shrimp recipe is very easy, IF you can just walk out into the backyard, and pick a handful of your own fresh, green sprigs.

Without that luxury, you’d have to buy four different bunches, and probably only use a little of each. What a waste. However, these are so amazingly delicious, if you don’t have a garden, you should do exactly that. Then plant the herb garden. 

While you're out buying stuff, pick up a mortar and pestle, if you don't already have one. A blender or food processor won't produce the same intense flavors as this primitive tool. It's all about the compounds released by the crushing, or at least that's what I've been told.

Try to get the largest shrimp you can find, since that will allow for maximum grilling time, which equals maximum caramelization, which is where so much of the flavor comes from. So, whether you have an herb garden or not, I really hope you give these great grilled shrimp a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 6 servings:

*Note: I just guessed at these amounts because it’s that kind of a recipe.

2 pounds 16/20 peeled and deveined shrimp

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp lemon zest

3 or 4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin

1/2 cup of fresh picked and chopped herbs

I used basil, Italian parsley, oregano, and lemon thyme (everything works, but be careful with rosemary, as it can be over-powering)

About 4 to 6 tbsps of olive oil, or as needed

- Use 2/3 for the marinade, and save the other 1/3 for the sauce

For the sauce:

Reserved garlic herb marinade

Red chili flakes and cayenne to taste

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tbsp olive oil

season to taste