Let me start off by saying I am an incredible procrastinator. I’d look up whether I am the biggest one, but I’m too lazy. That said, I was very excited about this month’s Charcutepalooza challenge. Canadian Bacon!! I can hear the ukuleles playing, now. After all, Hawaiian Pizza is my favorite!

There was an entire month ahead of me in which to make this wonderful thing and create wonderful, yummy food and a month to put the entire thing off until the last minute. Yup, you guessed it….almost. Not only did I put it off until the last minute, I put it completely off until the day before we were going to the forest in Northern California to spend a week at my in-laws home.

My in-laws are good sports. They were pretty unfazed by the sourdough starter I brought for a two-week visit when it was just a baby. All those feedings never really threw them off. They rarely blink an eye when I get up on vacation and “whip up” breads, scones, massive dinners and more when we’re all thinking how relaxing this place in the woods can be. After all, they have a huge kitchen!

This week, they were true to form. Not a single hesitation when I called and asked if they still had their little electric smoker in the garage. “Sure!,” they said, “We’re ready!!” So, along with our suitcases, we schlepped my pork loin (in brine) and some Alaskan salmon I had cured and wanted to get some smoke on.

The perfect afternoon came along. It had been snowing lightly all week and there were still drifts of snow around, so it was a real treat to all sit on the deck and watch the smoker, drinks in hand, naturally. We put the meat in, put the cherry chips in, plugged it in and sat back, waiting for the smoke. We waited and waited and waited. Finally, we checked on the smoker and nothing. It was absolutely cold. Hmmm.

We unplugged it from the extension cord and plugged it directly into the socket. Nothing. Hmmm. Checked breakers, nothing. Hmmm. Took the smoker apart and checked its pulse with the multi-tester. Nothing. Hmmm. Hmmm. Hmmm.

All this hmmming seemed to cause the light to come on! It was on the deck and it was a GCFI outlet! D’oh! Plugged it in and began the smoke watch again, more drinks in hand.

Finally, the smoking was finished and we ended up with about 3 lbs of Canadian Bacon and a pound of Salmon. The biggest surprise to me (and I have no idea why) was that it really was Canadian Bacon! Pink and smoky and not at all slimy like commercial Canadian Bacon seems to be. The taste makes my mouth happy!

What to do with all this bacony goodness? Eggs Benedict. I’m sure that nearly everyone is going to use their Canadian Bacon for that..after all, National Eggs Benedict Day is April 16.  I wanted to make my fellow Charcutepaloozans proud! Since I had left my homemade English Muffins home (of course) I  ran to the store and grab some. Nope. This country store didn’t have any. So my idea changed a bit and I grabbed a loaf of cracked wheat sourdough bread and some Sierra Nevada beer. The thought of Eggs Benedict with Crystal Wheat Hollandaise on Cracked Wheat Sourdough Toast…kinda made me giddy.

There’s a slight tang from the beer and a bit of a wheaty taste in the Hollandaise from the Old Chico beer. Married with the really smoky Canadian Bacon and the chewy, rustic sourdough, it made a nifty change to the old hair-of-the-dog breakfast standby!

Eggs Benedict with Crystal Wheat Hollandaise

For the Hollandaise:

2 egg yolks
½ stick butter, melted
1-2 drops fresh lemon juice
1T (or more, as needed) Old Chico Crystal Wheat beer, or other flavorful, light ale
Dash cayenne Pepper
Salt to taste

Find a bowl that’s not too big for the yolks, but big enough to allow for expansion. You’ll also need a balloon whisk that fits comfortable in your hand. Make sure the bowl is one you’ll be comfortable whisking in and one that can go atop a small pot of water on the stove, while you are whisking. Add enough water to the pot to not touch the bottom of the bowl, but to allow for enough steam at a good simmer. Add a little of the beer to the egg yolks in the bowl and whisk together. Place the bowl over the small pot of simmering water and continue to whisk. Remove the bowl occasionally, and whisk on the countertop. (Ultimately, you don’t want to make scrambled eggs, but you do want to cook the sauce as you’re whisking.) Continue to whisk until the yolks become light yellow and slightly fluffy. They will become lemon colored and create a thick ribbon when the whisk is pulled from the bowl. Add your melted butter in a drizzle and whisk further. Do not add too much butter at one time. You are trying to incorporate the butter into the eggs into one emulsified sauce. There should be pooling of butter. Continue adding the butter and whisking while taking the bowl on and off the pot of simmering water, in order to keep in warm. As it thickens, add the lemon juice and a bit more beer until you reach the consistence you desire. It should pour nicely, not too thin and not too thick. Add the cayenne and salt and taste, adding more, as needed. Keep the sauce to the side, whisking and warming again right before your assemble your dish.

For the eggs:

You’ll need 2 eggs and a tablespoon of white vinegar, or lemon juice
small pot with enough water to cover the raw eggs completely

Add the vinegar or lemon juice to the water and bring to a very low simmer. Almost no movement on the water is better. Very carefully crack the eggs into the water, carefully and poach them for about 4 minutes, depending upon the temperature of your water. You’ll know they’re done when you lift them out with a slotted spoon and the whites are no longer translucent, but the yolks are still runny. At this point, you can serve them immediately or put them in an ice water bath for later. If you put them in ice water, when you’re ready to reheat them, take them from the ice water, trim them up with scissors to look nice and place in the water for about 30 seconds to warm them up. Scoop them out, and use as fresh.

To assemble the Eggs Benedict

Toast one large piece of Cracked Wheat Sourdough bread, butter and top with the warmed Canadian Bacon. Top this with two poached eggs and drizzle liberally with Hollandaise Sauce. (Note: I topped everything with a small amount of smoked salmon and chopped fresh dill, that’s optional.)

Serve with beer!

Using the Sierra Nevada Porter and mustard as inspiration, I figured Ham and Cheese Empanadas with Porter Mustard Cream sauce might be pretty tasty. The pie crust benefitted from a bit of the Porter in the crust that helped tie them into the sauce. These are easy to make and great as an appetizer or, if made bigger, a nice dinner sandwich.

Canadian Bacon and Ham Empanadas with Porter Crust

¾ c. diced Canadian Bacon
½ c. diced Swiss Cheese
Mix these together

1 ¼ c. flour
½ c. butter, cut into small pieces
¼ c. (or more) very cold Sierra Nevada Porter, or other dark beer

1 Egg, mixed together with a little water for an egg wash

Cut fat into the flour until it is about the size of peas. Add enough beer for the flour to come together into a rough ball. You may not need all the beer, but don’t worry if you need a little bit more. Don’t work it too much, or it may become tough. Place in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least a half hour.

Heat oven to 400F

 Roll out on a floured surface and cut into circles at least 2” across. The cooking time is the same for larger empanadas, but you get more the smaller you make them.

Top each round with the meat and cheese mixture.

Brush the edges of each round, fold over and seal with a fork. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan.

When all have been rolled out, brush the top of each empanada with egg wash and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Sierra Nevada Porter Mustard Sauce

1 T. Butter
1 T. Flour
1 c. Sierra Nevada cold Sierra Nevada Porter, or other dark beer
¼ c. Heavy Cream
3T Brown Mustard
Dash Cholula or other hot sauce
Salt, to taste

Make a roux by slowly melting the butter in a pan, add the flour and stir and cook just until it makes a paste and cooks a bit to remove the flour taste. Add the beer and cream, whisking constantly, until all is blended and no lumps remain. Add the Cholula and mustard, stir to blend. Cook until thick and creamy, do not boil. Serve warm or cold.