Swavory does the Holiday Food Experiment

HELLO!
It's been a while, over three months actually :( So sorry for the lack of posts, but I'm going to make up for it, starting right now by sharing some BIG news and a recipe!
>>BIG news
Swavory made its public debut last weekend at the Holiday Food Experiment!!
The Food Experiments held at the Bell House in Brooklyn, NY is supposedly NYC's "premiere culinary competition" (ooh-la-la). Not only was it the first time I ever competed in a culinary competition, but it was also the time first time I've ever even attended a legitimate competition. It was more work and stress than I could have ever imagined but also loads of fun. Thanks to everyone who came out to support swavoryswagger - you guys are the best.
For the competition we decided to take a spin on a classic cheesecake and give it a holiday swave factor.
Presenting... Cheecake lollipops dipped in salted caramel and candy cane
A creamy cheescake bite lightly coated in a decadent salted caramel sauce and candy cane kisses.
Sweet, salty, and a bit of peppermint leaving the palette clean and fresh and wanting more.

These little bad boys were no piece of cake (har-har). My friend Julianne and I, baked well into night in order to prepare 300 for the competition. The cheesecake itself and sauce are simple but forming and dipping each lollipop is time intensive. Freezing and transporting the lollipops is a big issue, we did it by sticking them in styrofoam sheets and cones to prevent the lollis from sticking to each other. If you're planning on bringing these to a holiday party, I'd recommend bringing a nice friend with steady hands who can hold the lollipops while you drive like a grandma or just baking a cheesecake topped with the caramel candy cane sauce.

>> Now, as promised the recipe. Enjoy!
Cheesecake Lollipops
Ingredients
3 8oz. packages of cream cheese (room temp)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbsp flour
1/8 tsp salt
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2tbsp heavy cream

Directions
1. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and salt until smooth
2. Beat in eggs and egg yolk one at a time
3. Beat in vanilla and cream
4. Pour batter into a greased 8x8 inch baking pan
5. Bake in a preheated 325F oven until cheesecake is a light golden brown
6. Let cheesecake cool
7. Chill cheesecake in refrigerator for 2 hrs to overnight
8. Cut cheesecake into 1 inch pieces
9. Scoop pieces out and form into a ball or square
10. Insert a lollipop stick into the cheescake ball, place on styrofoam or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
11. Freeze for 2 hours to overnight
Salted Caramel Candy Cane Coating
Ingredients
2/3 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup granulate sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1/8 tsp salt
21/2 tbsp butter
3/4 tsp vanilla extract combined with 1 tbsp water
6 Hershey candy cane kisses

Directions
1. Combine cream, sugars, corn syrup, and salt in a pot
2. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon
3. Add kisses one at a time and continue to stir
4. Cook for 10 minutes until mixture starts to thicken
5. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla-water mixture
6. Dip cheesecake lollipop into mixture
7. Refrigerate until ready to eat

Yields 64 lollipops

Bacon, the swaviest of them all

Like most sane people, I'm an avid bacon fan. I love the classic BLT and BEC and have tried everything from chocolate covered bacon to bacon cupcakes. As long there's bacon in a meal, I've never been disappointed.

Two new amazing bacon discoveries this weekend: Bacon Doughnuts and Bacon Sushi!
Bacon Doughnuts, dulce de leche, coffee ice cream from Traif in Williamsburg, one of the best brunch spots I've ever been to (more to come on Traif next post). The combination of flavors and textures was amazing. Sweet, salty, savory, soft, crispy, crunchy, hot, cold. Somewhow it all came together to form a beautiful harmony. 4.5/5 I only wish the doughnut was filled with a little bit of salted caramel on the inside. Imagine already being seduced by the first layer of flavors and then finding a gooey center, the effect would be mindblowing.

Popeye Roll: bacon, spinach, cream cheese, avocado from Geido in Prospect Heights. I was a little doubtful about this one, but I was pleasantly surprised. The bacon was steamed so the texture almost resembled that of fish. The steaming also eliminated most of the grease, I felt almost healthy eating it. The cured saltiness of the bacon replaced the need for soy sauce, I dipped it in a bit of terriyaki, for an extra swave factor. 4/5 which confirms the fact that bacon pairs well with everything.

Bacon, I'm sorry, I will never doubt you again.