Welcome to February, folks! In honor of Valentine’s Day I decided to make Romeo and Juliet our new Book of the Month (technically a play, but I figure it still counts). Bacon may not be the first thing that springs to mind at the mention of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy. Bacon ROSES, on the other hand, couldn’t be more appropriate.

I made this same recipe (originally from Our Best Bites) a few years back as a Valentine’s Day present for the Mister. It’s deceptively simple to make, and of course the flavor’s fantastic. But I think the best part is how much the bacon blossoms actually resemble real flowers. 🙂

Bacon Roses

“What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet…”
— Romeo and Juliet

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb thick cut bacon
• a batch of 1 dozen silk roses (I used Ashland roses from my local Michael’s store)

Makes 1 dozen roses

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat your oven to 400°.
2. Remove the petals and petal fixtures from the top of the roses. Artificial rose construction varies from brand to brand. For mine, I was able to remove the petals two layers at a time from the green plastic peg in the center. There was also a red plastic “pollen fixture” between each two layers that needed to be removed as well. You might need to get in there with a pair of scissors to remove some of the bigger blossoms. Just make sure not to cut off the peg.

   

3. When you have removed all the petals and fixtures, you should be left with a green, star-shaped leaf base with the green peg in the middle. You will be able to to see a little bit of green wire poking out from the top of the plastic stick (this is the tip of the stem). Firmly but slowly push the green base down the green wire stem until you reach the first set of green silk leaves. The wire should now be sticking up about 1 1/2″ above the plastic base. This green wire is what will keep you bacon blossom in place.
   
4. Repeat Step 1 and 2 for each of the blossoms, until you have 12 plastic bases with green wire sticking out from the middle of them.
5. Roll your bacon strips into spirals. Before you do this, decide which portion of each bacon strip has the most red on it, and make sure that this portion is at the top as you roll (this will ensure lots of red in your roses). I found the best way to roll was to lay the strip flat and, starting with the fattiest or least stable end, roll it up across the top of my cutting board, keeping an eye on the bottom of the roll to make sure it stays as flat as possible. This achieved fuller, more stable blossoms.
   
6. Secure the bottom of the blossom by pushing two toothpicks through the bottom in an “X” shape. This will create a base for the blossom to stand on as it bakes. To prevent the spiral from unraveling, make sure one of the toothpicks is securing the “open end” of the bacon strip.
   
7. Place a sheet of tin foil on a baking sheet. Place a wire rack over the tin foil.
   
8. Place the blossoms toothpick side down on your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Rotate the pan at the 15 minute mark.
   
9. They’re finished when they are cooked through and have the same color and texture all the way to the center.
   
10. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, remove the toothpicks. Gently pat the outside of the spirals dry with a paper towel and slip them onto the prepared stems. They should hold their shape and remain upright. You may need to strategically place the larger, heavier buds on central stems to keep them from falling off.
    
11. Your flowers will be very top heavy. Place them in a jar or vase tall enough to reach the bottom leaves. You may need to fill the jar with tissue paper or pebbles to keep the bouquet centered
12. Serve on a balcony while conversing in iambic pentameter.

    

     

Here’s the Yummly printable!

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Yum

Bacon Roses: A Rose by Any Other Name…

Makes 1 dozen bacon roses

Ingredients

• 1 lb thick cut bacon
• a batch of 1 dozen silk roses

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 400°.
2. Remove the petals and petal fixtures from the top of the roses. Artificial rose construction varies from brand to brand. For mine, I was able to remove the petals two layers at a time from the green plastic peg in the center. There was also a red plastic "pollen fixture" between each two layers that needed to be removed as well. You might need to get in there with a pair of scissors to remove some of the bigger blossoms. Just make sure not to cut off the peg.
3. When you have removed all the petals and fixtures, you should be left with a green, star-shaped leaf base with the green peg in the middle. You will be able to to see a little bit of green wire poking out from the top of the plastic stick (this is the tip of the stem). Firmly but slowly push the green base down the green wire stem until you reach the first set of green silk leaves. The wire should now be sticking up about 1 1/2" above the plastic base. This green wire is what will keep you bacon blossom in place.
4. Repeat Step 1 and 2 for each of the blossoms, until you have 12 plastic bases with green wire sticking out from the middle of them.
5. Roll your bacon strips into spirals. Before you do this, decide which portion of each bacon strip has the most red on it, and make sure that this portion is at the top as you roll (this will ensure lots of red in your roses). I found the best way to roll was to lay the strip flat and, starting with the fattiest or least stable end, roll it up across the top of my cutting board, keeping an eye on the bottom of the roll to make sure it stays as flat as possible. This achieved fuller, more stable blossoms.
6. Secure the bottom of the blossom by pushing two toothpicks through the bottom in an "X" shape. This will create a base for the blossom to stand on as it bakes. To prevent the spiral from unraveling, make sure one of the toothpicks is securing the "open end" of the bacon strip.
7. Place a sheet of tin foil on a baking sheet. Place a wire rack over the tin foil.
8. Place the blossoms toothpick side down on your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Rotate the pan at the 15 minute mark.
9. They're finished when they are cooked through and have the same color and texture all the way to the center.
10. When the bacon is cool enough to handle, remove the toothpicks. Gently pat the outside of the spirals dry with a paper towel and slip them onto the prepared stems. They should hold their shape and remain upright. You may need to strategically place the larger, heavier buds on central stems to keep them from falling off.
11. Your flowers will be very top heavy. Place them in a jar or vase tall enough to reach the bottom leaves. You may need to fill the jar with tissue paper or pebbles to keep the bouquet centered
12. Serve on a balcony while conversing in iambic pentameter.

Notes

Don't pull too hard, as it can break the peg in the center, which you will need to help hold up your bacon blossom later. Try to push back the petals to reveal the center, so you can see what you're pulling at as you go.

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