It's no secret that I love pie for breakfast. They are two of my very favorite things, and the combination is my true Achilles heel. But to this point, I've always been a little unsatisfied with my pie for breakfast fixes. I was missing something... I felt like Snoopy without Woodstock. Or Simon without Garfunkel. I needed something to balance out that sweet, tart, crispy-crusted pie. Enter bacon.
Let's me be real honest with you. My consumption of pork, sausage, carnitas, bacon and ham have increased dramatically since my boyfriend entered my life. If that man doesn't have pig in some form at least once a day, it's not a good scene. So how had I missed this for so long? Bacon and pie! It's a Portland dream come true. In the city of roses, we love our breakfasts. We want the breakfast meatloaf (thank you, City State), the three-egg omelet with bacon and a scone, or hash browns smothered in gravy and fried eggs. And we want it smothered with Secret Aardvark sauce served with a steaming mug of locally roasted coffee! 
Let me introduce you to Lumberjack Pie. It involves tart apples, maple syrup, buttery crust, and a woven layer of crunchy bacon that will leave your tongue dancing and your knees shaking.
Start out with a pie crust, just like your normally would; roll it out and form it into your pie dish. Once that's complete, slice up several Granny Smith apples and mix them with a few tablespoons of flour, a few shakes of cinnamon and some nutmeg. Once your apples are nicely coated, add in a splash of lemon juice... and some maple syrup. Poor that gooey mixture into your pie crust and set it aside.
.jpg)
Next you'll need to open up your bacon and lay the slices on a plate that's been covered in a couple layers of paper towel. Pop it in the microwave for a couple of minutes to cook out a majority of the grease, which will keep your heart pumping longer and your pie crust crispier. 
Once most of the bacon fat has rendered out, you'll want to weave the bacon strips on top of your apples so it hangs over the edge of the pie tin just a bit. As it cooks, the bacon will shrink to just cover your apples. Once you have your bacon layer woven together, sprinkle it with a handful of brown sugar, and pop it into the oven at 350. Let it cook until the apples and maple are bubbling up through the bacon (which should be delightfully crispy) and the crust is golden brown. Let it sit for a few minutes to cool, and then serve up a generous slice. It's fruit and protein, for goodness sake - eat up! In short, the oh-so-famous culinary duo, peanut butter and jelly, better watch its back. Bacon and pie are hot on their tracks.
