Deer, Beer & Bacon (in that order)

To follow up the chocolate cheese and wine cupcakes I tried Maple Caramel Pumpkin Bars with Bacon. Now I may have out done Paula Dean on this one... It was interesting to say the least. The recipe is from noblepig. The pumpkin cake itself was very good, and the caramel icing was fantastic. The maple flavored bacon accented the cake's flavor and added a crunchy complexity to the texture. I took this to a deer burger party, so I figured it would fit well either way. 

Chris got a free deer courtesy of the lovely hunters at BARC, one of the many perks of being a fellow employee.  With the help of Volvo, he made pulled-deer, deer steaks, deer burgers, and deer jerky. The steak was phenomenal. I've never had deer before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I don't really know what "gamey" tastes like and still don't because but these burgers were definitely not.

Cabbage from Christopher's Lab

Master chef, slaving over a pot of boiling water.

Bars:
8 oz. bacon, diced
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 Tablespoons bacon drippings
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans 

Preheat oven to 350^o F.  Coat a 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick spray.  Cook bacon in a saute pan over medium heat until crisp; drain on a paper towel lined plate and set aside.  Reserve 2 tablespoons drippings.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and table salt for the bars in a medium bowl; set aside.  Whisk together pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, egg, melted butter, bacon drippings and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended.  Stir in flour mixture and pecans.

Spread pumpkin batter evenly into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Let cool completely before frosting. 

Frosting:
 2 cups packed brown sugar
1/3 cup water
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 stick unsalted butter, cubed
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
Sea salt

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add sugar and salt. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is completely dissolved, then adjust heat to medium and boil 2 minutes longer. Add maple syrup and boil, swirling the pan occasionally, until sauce is thick, smooth, and coats a spoon, 2 to 4 minutes longer.

Pour hot caramel into a clean stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat at medium-high speed, scraping down sides occasionally, until sides of bowl are no longer hot to the touch and closer to room temperature and caramel is thick. Add cream cheese, one cube at a time, until frosting is smooth.