"Bacon," James Villas

Pros: Wide variety of recipes—including desserts! Suggested substitutions for unusual bacons
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

When I saw The Bacon Cookbook: More than 150 Recipes from Around the World for Everyone’s Favorite Food in the stores over the holidays, I couldn’t help getting it. Not only is it a cookbook about BACON, but it’s by James Villas, author of our favorite, and oft-used, biscuit cookbook! (“Biscuit Bliss”) In this case, he has collected recipes from all around the world that involve bacon of one type or another, suggested substitutions for those bacons we might not be able to easily get in the US, included a few fun stories, and occasionally changed up a recipe a little.

The results are fantastic! Some recipes use a little bacon for an added punch of flavor; others use a lot. There are elegant appetizers, hearty main dishes, gorgeous breakfasts & brunches, and even—gasp!—lovely desserts! I don’t mean desserts to go with bacon dishes, I mean desserts with bacon in the recipes. And yes, the Canadian bacon-maple syrup custard is to-die-for! (You didn’t think we’d review a cookbook that had bacon desserts in it without trying one of the desserts, did you?!)

The book includes more than 150 recipes. A handful of them have photographs included, and the paper is glossy and will stand up well to abuse. The layout is clear and easy-to-read. There’s an extensive index to both recipes and information. Plenty of information about different kinds of bacon is included, and recipes range from simple two-ingredient affairs (bacon-wrapped dungeness crab legs!) to somewhat more complex dishes (clams casino). I don’t think anything in here is over-the-top in its complexity, however.

I absolutely loved the eggs in bacon cups (another two-ingredient recipe!), as well as the Philippine adobo. In fact, the recipes in here came out so wonderfully that I kept trying to justify the idea that we had to make just one more before I wrote my review.

All in all, if you like bacon, I think you’ll love Bacon!