The subject today is ... BACON! Sorry, every time I say the word, I think of that dog food commercial. Bacon, with its complex melange of smoke-salt-sugar and crispy-creamy mouth feel, brings out that Pavlovian compulsion in a lot of us.

While most of us should class bacon as a very special occasion food, it certainly has its uses in the kitchen and, thankfully, a little can go a long way because of the intensity of the flavors. If you can afford it, and if you can find it, buy good-quality center-cut bacon, which has more meat and less fat.

A technique many chefs employ when they use bacon is to blanch it first: Drop bacon into a little simmering water and cook for 2 minutes; drain and pat dry. Blanching leaches out some of the salt and melts some of the fat, as well. Blanching water may be used in sauces, stews or soups.

Julia Child blanched bacon for use in her coq au vin recipe; then "fried" the vegetables for the stew in the fatty water. It's common as a background flavor for Boeuf Bourguignon, too. Try draping whole slices of blanched bacon over the breast and thighs of a chicken, securing the pieces with toothpicks or string; roast, removing bacon 10 to 15 minutes before the chicken is done.

Blanched bacon is particularly nice with green beans, brussels sprouts, leafy greens such as chard or kale or cabbage. For every 4 servings, add a slice of blanched, chopped bacon to the pan, whether you're steaming, boiling, stir-frying or braising the vegetables. Collard greens boiled with bacon is a Southern classic.

Of course, crisp, fried bacon bits are one of the most useful condiments in the kitchen. They can add interest to a potato salad or dressings for cold greens; flavor egg dishes or, tossed with buttered bread crumbs, top a casserole.

I'm sharing a favorite — very decadent — recipe that I found in the novel "Isle of Palms," by Dorothea Benton Frank. If you're stuck for a recipe for a seduction dinner tonight, this is the one. It's a snap to make and meat-eating men love it.

ISLE OF PALMS BACON PASTA