Fully Edible Easter Basket

[beetiger]

In case you aren't aware of it, right now bacon is very popular in the food blogging world. There are several whole blogs devoted to bacon, and structural bacon projects, such as bacon mats and bacon bowls, have been making the rounds. Now, I've been reading Not Martha since well before they did this, but lediva became aware of this via one of the all-bacon blogs, and somehow in the process of a rambling conversation, a horrible idea was born: a fully edible Easter basket made of bacon, and filled with sprouts for grass, and nestling a pre-peeled boiled egg.

We had to do it.

Half a pound of bacon, made into a container. I'll spare you the discussion of the details, except to say that despite having used a pan of water underneath the rack holding the foil-covered bowl of woven bacon in the oven, the place got pretty smoky, enough to sting the eyes a bit if not to set off the smoke alarm. After a long time in the oven, the bowl held its shape, but was raw in the middle, and I ended up finishing it off by removing the foil layer and cooking it for a few minutes in the microwave.

But in the end, it was lovely enough to make lediva just a little weepy. And it was utterly bacon-licious.

	Bacon Basket, unfilled
	All-Edible Bacon Easter Basket, complete

Comments

[muffyjo]

lediva pointed me here. Did you try making the basket upside down? You might try making sure to put a cookie sheet (to catch drippings) under a rotisserie basket upended with a cast iron skillet inverted on top to keep it flat (and to keep the cooking temperature even).

That way you have gravity working for you.

I suggested adding grits as filling instead of the sprouts. Mmmm..bacon and grits! (A little butter and you're golden!)

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was upside down on a foil-covered ceramic bowl, on a rack over a rimmed cookie sheet filled with water. I think the ceramic probably absorbed too much of the heat which is why the center came out undercooked when the outside was clearly done. Flat didn't seem to be an issue.

[rowyn]

Would one of those round wire strainers have worked instead of a bowl?

[beetiger.livejournal.com]

Yes, and that probably would solve the uneven-baking issue. But I don't have one the right size.