Great cooking is all about the condiments.

Salt, pepper, lemon juice, chilis, mustard, soy and sriracha sauce, these ingredients boost the flavor of any food they touch. Keep a variety in your pantry and you’ll always be able to whip up a quick and delicious meal.

I would also consider bacon to be an essential condiment. I fry my veggies in the fat. I crumble it over my popcorn. There’s really nothing I won’t wrap in a few bacon slices. But one of my absolute favorite condiments is actually something called bacon jam.

You’re going to love this! It’s just as delicious as it sounds.

I must love you guys to even think about sharing this with you…..my favourite weekend snack. Bacon jam and oatcakes with cheese! @barbellbuddha

A photo posted by Moozlers (@moozlers) on Feb 16, 2015 at 5:19pm PST

Bacon jam ingredients

Here’s what you’re going to need…

• 1 pound of bacon.
• 2 large onions (thinly sliced). I try to get sweet onions, but it doesn’t matter either way.
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar. You could also use coconut palm sugar.
• 1 shot of espresso with a tablespoon of water.
• Optional flavor boosters: balsamic vinegar, apple cider vinegar, chili flakes, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, just to name a few.

Method

Cut the bacon into half-inch pieces and fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Stir frequently. You want the bacon to be chewy, not crispy, so just pick out and eat the crunchy bits.

Remove the bacon from the pan. Drain the fat and set the bacon aside. Put one tablespoon of the fat back in your frying pan and store the rest (I always keep a jar in the fridge). Add the chopped onions to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until they look translucent.

Reduce the heat to low, add the sugar and stir. Continue to cook the onions until they have caramelized. This will take 20 to 25 minutes. Add the coffee, 1/3 cup of water, and the cooked bacon. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are thick and sticky. This will take about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the vinegar, chili flakes or any flavor you prefer.

Use immediately, or refrigerate for up to a week. If you want to eat the jam straight from the fridge just let it get to room temperature first. The texture will be a lot better.

Bacon jam pairs perfectly with a few big chunks of cheese, but you should try it with my oatcakes. It’s heaven on earth!

Oatcakes ingredients

• About 1 1/2 cups (300g) of oats.
• 1/4 teaspoon of baking powder.
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
• 1 ounce of melted butter.
• 5 to 7 teaspoons of boiling water.

Here’s a quick tip. You can improve the texture of your cakes by dividing the oats into 3 batches. Set the first aside, then break the next two into medium and fine powders in the blender. Recombine all of the oats prior to making the cakes.

Method

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees.

Set aside a handful of your oats and add the rest to a bowl. Add the salt and baking powder, then mix. Add the butter and 5 teaspoons of boiling water. Mix to form a smooth but firm dough. Add more water if necessary.

Form the dough into a ball and then roll it out on a flat surface sprinkled with the remaining oatmeal. Make sure that the dough is completely covered with the dry oatmeal, then flatten out the mixture between two sheets of parchment paper. You want a thickness of about 1/2 cm.

Use a cookie cutter to cut the dough into rounds, then carefully lift and place each cake on a parchment lined baking tray. Bake in the centre of your oven for about 30 minutes, being careful not to let the cakes brown. Let the oatcakes cool, smother in bacon jam and enjoy! Just try not to eat everything at once!

For more great recipe ideas you can visit my blog, MOOZLERS.

Eat well,

Virginia