Bacon and onion marmalade appetizers

I saw this on Patio Daddio's blog, and I could not resist giving it a go, I mean how can you go wrong with caramelized onions and bacon together?

So while we up at Pender Harbour I made the marmalade and the crostini, so that on New years day I just had to put them together to come up with a delicious appetizer.

Ingredients for the onion and bacon marmalade
4 Yellow onions, halved and sliced
4 slices Thick bacon
1/4 cup Sherry vinegar (white wine vinegar is fine)
2 sprigs Thyme, stripped from the stem

Fry the bacon in a large frying pan, removing it when it is crisp.

OK I know that there are more than 4 slices, we had taste the bacon to make sure it was alright and it was so we had another piece.

Add the onion to the bacon fat, I poured some of it off as there was a lot left in the pan.

This looks like a lot of onion, but it sure collapses down when you cook them.

Now add the bacon, thyme and vinegar.

Stir in and cook until the onions are quite dark and all the liquid has been absorbed.  You could use this right away or leave aside until later in the day or as we did pack into a container and refrigerate until ready to use.

We also made the crostini base at the same time so that we would have even less to do on New Years eve.  I just sliced one baguette in 1/4' thick slices laid them on a cookie sheet in a 350 oven until they were just turning golden around the edges.

Place on to a cooking rack until they are cold. I then packed them back in the paper bag that the baguette came in .

Packed and ready to go

Before using the onion and bacon mixture heat up in a small sauce pan on low heat until it is warmed through.  Then just before your guests arrive spread each bread round with either goat cheese or a slice of brie and top with the caramelized onion and bacon.

These were very tasty and with that little work that we did ahead quick and easy to put out at the last minute with a minimum of fuss.

Finished crostini with a single rosemary leaf