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You've had bacon with eggs, bacon cheeseburgers and even bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. But how about bacon dessert?
Don't look so disgusted.
Savory bacon has been showing its sweet side for many months in Utah, appearing in doughnuts, cookies and even chocolate bars.
Beyond Glaze, a gourmet doughnut shop in Draper and Bountiful, sells regular raised doughnuts topped with maple-flavored frosting and sprinkles of crispy bacon. It's become one of his top sellers, said owner Dean Morgan.
"A lot of people say it's like eating all the flavors of breakfast — maple syrup, bacon and pancakes — all in one bite," he said.
A second doughnut with chocolate frosting and bacon also is available.
Last month, Bear Country Cookies at Salt Lake City's The Gateway introduced a bacon-milk chocolate cookie. Mixed inside the dough are pieces of bacon and milk chocolate chips. After it's baked, the cookie is topped with maple cream-cheese frosting and two strips of bacon.
"People either love it or they hate it," said Cori Goddard, the store manager. "There's not much in between."
Chocolate bars that contain bacon bits are available at Caputo's Market and Deli. "When it comes to chocolate, the classics have been done by everyone," said owner Matt Caputo. "Adding bacon is a way to impress people with things they have never tried."
Caputo admits that while bacon and chocolate sound odd together, strangely "they work."
That's probably why chocolate-covered bacon strips were available at a concession stand during the 2011 Utah State Fair. And it explains why recipes such as bacon fudge, bacon cookies and bacon doughnuts can be found on numerous sites on the Internet as well as in newly published cookbooks.
Kathyrn Gordon and Anne E. McBride included a maple bacon bourbon-filled macaron in their new cookbook Les Petits Macarons.
"The sweet and smoky flavors of bacon, bourbon and maple syrup make the filling one of the most addictive in the book," they wrote.
While putting bacon in a dessert may be a travesty to some, culinary gurus say the salty bacon flavor creates depth in a sweet dessert.
"Pork is a perfect crossover ingredient," said Utah chef Adam Kreisel, owner of Chaia Cucina catering. "Everyone loves the sensation of salty and sweet in their mouth."
Candied bacon fudge
10 strips raw bacon
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter
2⁄3 cup evaporated milk
12 squares semi-sweet baking chocolate, chopped
1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow crème
1 tablespoon vanilla
To prepare candied bacon, coat bacon strips generously on both sides with brown sugar. Carefully arrange on sheet pan lined with aluminum foil or baking paper.
Place in a cold oven, turn heat to 350 degrees and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until bacon is crisp, taking care not to burn during last 10 minutes of cooking. Drain thoroughly and cool.
Line a 4 1/2-by-9-inch loaf pan with foil or baking paper, extending foil over edges of pan.
To prepare fudge, combine sugar, butter and evaporated milk in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, until a candy thermometer reads 234 degrees. Remove from heat. (Cooks at high altitudes will need to remove the mixture from heat sooner. A good rule to follow is two degrees lower for every 1,000 feet above sea level. For example, those at 5,000 feet above sea level should remove from heat at 224 degrees, or 10 degrees lower.)
Add chocolate, marshmallow crème and vanilla; stir until completely blended and chocolate is melted.
Arrange 2 strips candied bacon in bottom of lined baking pan; top with 1/4 of the fudge. Repeat with 3 more layers of bacon and fudge. Top fudge with 2 remaining strips of candied bacon. Cover and refrigerate for until firm.
To serve, carefully lift fudge out of baking pan; slice into 1/2 -inch slabs.
Servings • About 2 dozen
Source: The Food Channel —
Maple and bacon doughnuts
Doughnuts
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
1 cup buttermilk
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 teaspoon maple extract
Glaze
11/4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon maple extract
8 slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled
Special equipment
Doughnut pans
Pastry bag with a 1/2-inch round tip (or a 1 gallon-sized resealable plastic storage bag)
Heat oven to 375 degrees and position the oven rack in the center. Lightly coat the doughnut pans with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and baking soda with a whisk. Melt butter in a small pot over low heat. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter, buttermilk, eggs, maple syrup and maple extract. Whisk until foamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour egg mixture into the flour and stir, using a large wooden spoon, until completely combined.
Using a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip, divide the batter equally (using even pressure) between the pans, filling about halfway full.
Alternatively, you can use a gallon-sized resealable plastic storage bag.
Fill the bag and using scissors, remove 1/2-inch from one of the bottom corners and proceed filling the pans as described above.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until doughnuts spring back when lightly touched. Remove from oven, invert doughnuts onto a rack and cool completely.
To make the glaze, combine powdered sugar, maple syrup and maple extract in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth.
Dip the top of each doughnut into the glaze and lift, allow the excess to drip back into the bowl. While glaze is still wet, sprinkle with bacon crumbles. Place on a platter and serve. These doughnuts are best served fresh.
Servings • 16 large or 64 mini doughnuts
Source: So Sweet! Cookies, Cupcakes, Whoopie Pies, and more by Sur La Table —
Where to buy bacon desserts
Bear Country Cookies •158 S. Rio Grande St. (The Gateway), Salt Lake City; 801-456-2367.
Sells a gourmet cookie filled with bacon pieces and milk chocolate chips. The cookie is topped with a rich maple cream cheese frosting and two strips of bacon. One cookie costs $1.85, plus tax.
Beyond Glaze • 177 W. 12300 South, Draper; 801-571-2309; or 535 W. 400 North, Bountiful (inside Scoopology); 801-414-5715.
Raised doughnuts with maple frosting and bacon sprinkles. One doughnuts is $1.85 plus tax. Also available with chocolate frosting and bacon sprinkles.
Caputo's Market and Deli •314 W. 300 South, Salt Lake City; 801-531-8669.
Two brands of chocolate bacon bars are available:
• Mo's Milk Bar contains 45 percent milk chocolate with hickory smoked uncured bacon and alderwood smoked salt. A 3-ounce-bar is $6.99, plus tax. Also available in dark chocolate.
• Zotters, from Austria, offers a bar made with chocolate, hazelnuts and bacon cracklings. A 2.5-ounce bar is $6.99, plus tax.