Ingredients:
6 strips of fully cooked microwavable bacon
Ground cayenne powder (optional)
Brown sugar (optional)
18 spinach leaves
Materials needed:
Paper towels
Thin wooden toothpicks
Scissors
6 shish kabob wooden skewers
Clear tape
Directions:
1. Place a paper towel on a microwaveable plate. Place the bacon on the paper towel so the bacon pieces are not touching each other. Rub a few pinches of cayenne on each piece of bacon. Rub a very thin layer of brown sugar evenly on each piece of bacon and microwave on high for 15 seconds (this is to soften up the bacon so it’s easier to roll into a rose). Remove plate of bacon to the counter and let cool for 1 minute. Starting at one end, roll the bacon to the other end, making sure not to wrap too tight, leave some room in the middle of the rose for the skewer to fit through. Ever notice how a slice of bacon sitting on a plate usually has a fatty side to it and then a meatier side to it? To make your bacon roses look really nice you will want the meatier side to be the top of the rose. Place two toothpicks through the bottom of the fatty side, forming a cross (see picture below recipe).
2. Place the bacon roses back onto the microwavable plate, sitting upright on the toothpick cross you made. Microwave on high for 10 seconds. Let cool for 20 seconds. Repeat until you get the desired crispiness of the bacon you like. Overall cooking will vary depending on size of bacon. Be careful to not to overcook. The bacon can end up becoming burnt.
3. See the pictures at the bottom the recipe to get a better idea of the following instructions. Making the a base for the bacon to sit on: Using 6 spinach leaves, cut each into a a star shape (this will make it look like the sepals of a rose flower). Using the pointed end of one skewer, poke a hole in the center of one of a spinach stars and slide to the opposite end, within a half inch of the other end. Tape the star shaped base to the skewer so it does’t move. Repeat for the remaining 5 skewers and respective 5 spinach stars.
4. Making the leaves: Using small strips of clear tape, tape each spinach leaf at the stem to each skewer, an inch or two below your star. (2 leaves per skewer).
5. Place each bacon rose onto the respective star shaped base of each skewer. Place your bacon roses in a vase or stick in a green styrofoam base.
Recipe: Thick Cut Uncooked Bacon
Ingredients:
6 strips of uncooked thick cut bacon
Ground cayenne powder (optional)
Brown sugar (optional)
18 Spinach leaves
Materials needed:
Paper towels
Thin wooden toothpicks
Scissors
6 shish kabob wooden skewers
Clear Tape
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (including the rim to make clean up easy). Place an oven safe baking rack on the prepared baking sheet. Place the bacon on the rack so the bacon pieces are not touching each other. Rub a few pinches of cayenne on each piece of bacon. Rub a very thin layer of brown sugar evenly on each piece of bacon. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the bacon is crispy at the edges (partially cooking the bacon for now, you will cook it the rest of the way later). Remove baking sheet to a wire rack and let cool for 7 to 8 minutes.
2. Remove bacon to a paper towel. Starting at one end, roll the bacon to the other end, making sure not to wrap too tight, leave some room in the middle of the rose for the skewer to fit through. Ever notice how a slice of bacon sitting on a plate usually has a fatty side to it and then a meatier side to it? To make your bacon roses look really nice you will want the meatier side to be the top of the rose. Place two toothpicks through the bottom of the fatty side, forming a cross (see picture above this recipe).
3. Place the bacon roses back onto the wire rack/baking sheet, sitting upright on the toothpick cross you made and bake for an additional 5 to 8 minutes or until you get the desired crispiness of the bacon you like. Overall cooking will vary depending on size of bacon. If you did use brown sugar on the bacon, be careful as the brown sugar can start burning if cooked too long.
4. See the pictures above this recipe to get a better idea of the following instructions. Making the a base for the bacon to sit on: Using 6 spinach leaves, cut each into a a star shape (this will make it look like the sepals of a rose flower). Using the pointed end of one skewer, poke a hole in the center of one of a spinach stars and slide to the opposite end, within a half inch of the other end. Tape the star shaped base to the skewer so it does’t move. Repeat for the remaining 5 skewers and respective 5 spinach stars.
5. Making the leaves: Using small strips of clear tape, tape each spinach leaf at the stem to each skewer, an inch or two below your star. (2 leaves per skewer).
6. Place each bacon rose onto the respective star shaped base of each skewer. Place your bacon roses in a vase or stick in a green styrofoam base.
Notes: Baking the bacon in the oven is the way to go. The overall even temperature of the oven results in a flatter piece of bacon that is easier to roll into a rose. Cooking the bacon in a frying pan results in more curling due to the heat source is only on one side.