Grilled Bacon Quesadilla

Tonight I got lost in the city. Not in a good area. And my cell phone died. And I don't carry cash. Did you know that there are still pay phones in some areas? And you can still make a collect call? Let's just say that it was an adventurous night. So what to do when you finally make it home and it is quite late, and your famished? The need to find something quick and simple is the only thing that matters and it doesn't get any easier than a quesadilla. Tortillas are another one of the items I do keep on hand at all times. From a quick simple wrap to baked chips, they are great and versatile in a pinch!

Cheese, glorious cheese. It's the backbone that brings everything together. If you have a tortilla and cheese, you've got a meal. It's like a grilled cheese sandwich, only crunchier. Now, you can stop with one cheese and be perfectly satisfied, or keep adding ingredients for different flavor. Tonight, the quesadilla started with a layer of cream cheese, shredded cheddar and Montery jack. Cream cheese is the king of cheeses - it is just the most wonderful, creamy food ever with an amazing mouth feel. I recently read an article on cream cheese and found out that scientifically, it’s one of the trickier dairy products to produce. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/cheese.html And truly only one company has the correct (read: secret) recipe, hidden in a vault in Chicago. I'll let you guess which one...

After the cheese, anything else is gray. You cannot go wrong with bacon. Bacon is the spice of life that gives everything an over the top flavor. I like a hearty thick cut smokey bacon. Expect to have more bacon conversation in future blogs. You will want to fry up the bacon first, then add the bacon and a little chopped roasted red pepper on top of the cheese. Place another tortilla on top (or simply fold over half if you just using one tortilla.) Place in a large fry pan. You have two choices here - to use butter on the outside of the tortilla or no butter. My preference is no butter. While it does make the quesadilla more decadent, I just don't feel it's needed. (Dave would disagree here.) The tortillas will crisp nicely without it. But this is a decision you will need to make on your own. So simply cook on each side until golden brown and crispy. If you have salsa handy, it's a nice little compliment on the side. This calls for a good middle of the road beer, not too heavy, not to light; try a Goose Island Nut Brown Ale. The quesadilla is also a great evening snack if you have had a busy night imbibing and somehow forgot to eat. It's like a late night pub run you don't have to get out of your footie pajamas for. Enjoy!