Desserts # 60 Chocolate Covered Bacon

 

One day I was talking to a man that had been a vegetarian for over forty years and I asked him why he was a vegetarian. He told me that he started as a vegetarian due to financial necessity in college. Over the years, it had progressed to more of a philosophical reasoning. Then he told me that he (as well as most of the other vegetarians that he knows)is only tempted by one thing: bacon.

What is widely regarded as one of the best parts of the culinary world or a deal breaker for Judaism or Islam is not actually a childhood favorite of mine. When I think of bacon as a kid, I think of thin strips of fat cooked in the microwave on a slotted container that lets the fat collect on the bottom. The first time that I had heard of people eating chocolate covered bacon, I was a little grossed out. I thought of greasy chocolate that leaves a film on the roof of your mouth. But then when I thought about it a little more, I realized that foods that successfully combine sweet and salty are really. Stinkin’. Awesome. It wasn't really that different than chocolate covered pretzels or like those times that you are eating pancakes and the syrup mixes together with the bacon or breakfast sausage.

While I was in Colorado Springs, I stopped by a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory and was looking at their selection of fudges when I looked and saw it. Quite frankly, it looked like a cat had gotten into the display case and left something behind. When I bit into the bacon, it was crunchy and salty and sweet. Surprisingly (at least to me), I thought that it was too chocolaty.

When I made this for myself, I decided not to dip the entire piece of bacon into chocolate, leaving pieces of the bacon exposed. This made it easier to eat without getting chocolate smeared all over my fingers. To prepare this, I melted some chocolate chips in a double broiler and dipped the bacon into it. Once I did this, I laid the pieces on some plastic wrap and let it dry. The hope was that it would also harden. The reality was that I ended up with the greasy piece of choco-bacon that I was worried about.

I would like to suggest to you Nutella and bacon. Nutella is easy to spread without heating up, so it doesn’t break. The hazelnut adds a bit of savory that pairs with the meat nicely.

What do you think of chocolate covered bacon? Have you tried it? Would you try it? Have you made it yourself? Tell me below.