There was some talk a few months ago about Vosges’ new bacon-flavoured chocolate bar. When I first heard about it, I immediately started imagining the smoky saltiness of good bacon buried in smooth, rich chocolate. I went on chocolate-search alert. Unfortunately for me, I saw neither rind nor rasher of it. But I kept imagining those flavours. Last month, when I was contemplating–again–how much I love my ice cream maker, it suddenly hit me! If bacon works in a chocolate bar, why can’t it work in ice cream? I wrote the idea down, which is why for weeks, visitors have been puzzled by the note on our fridge that reads “Bacon-Choco Ice Cream.”
In my imaginings I always pictured dark chocolate, so when I started recipe planning, it was with something much darker than the milk chocolate Vosges uses. Our base recipe comes from Kate Zuckerman’s incredible cookbook “The Sweet Life.” (go. buy it. you won’t regret it.) In her recipe for dark chocolate sorbet, Zuckerman explains how the starches in chocolate absorb water at certain levels of heat, becoming incredibly creamy. I figured this was the way to go, as I couldn’t quite imagine the bacon bits nestled into a custard base. Maybe I’m wrong about this. Next go-round, anyone?
So. We had the concept of the base down. The bacon was next. I decided to candy the bacon so that it wouldn’t clash with the chocolate. I dipped the bacon in sugar and baked it until it was crispy. Then I mixed it into the incredibly rich, creamy, delicious chocolate sorbet. Quick note–this sorbet is an absolute must-try, bacon or no bacon. In her intro to the recipe, Zuckerman says that people are always shocked that the sorbet has no dairy. There’s a reason for this. Go look at the picture at the beginning of this piece again. Ignore our sub-professional photo skills and instead look at the sheen. It’s a thousand times silkier in the mouth than it even shows in the photo.
The chocolate sorbet with the bacon mixed in, however, is a whole different experience. Because the bits are mixed in after the sorbet, they don’t change the initial flavour or or silkiness at all. However, once your mouthful of chocolate has melted a bit, you get a little bacony, salty crunch. We liked how the salt cut through the heaviness of the chocolate, and how the smoky bacon flavour melted into the last vestiges of the rich chocolate at the end of every bite.
Cooking notes–
-Make sure your bacon is diced small. I was a bit lazy and left some larger bits (like 1/4 inch), and those few interfered with rather than complimented the chocolate.
-The candied bacon was beautiful coming out of the oven, but in hindsight we weren’t sure we needed to candy it. Maybe it was a cowardly move? You tell me. Next time, I might try just frying it up nice and crisp and mixing it in without the sugar protection.
– This is obviously not going to work with just any bacon. We got our smoked bacon from Porcmeilleur, at the Jean-Talon Market, but there are a few places around Montreal that might be worth trying. I think maple-smoked bacon would be delicious in this.
-If you don’t own an ice cream maker, I discovered that the base for this sorbet thickens into a beautiful silky puddingy mass in the fridge. So you can still play along. After you’ve prepared the sorbet base, ladle it into individual serving bowls and place them in the fridge. In a few hours, they will be thickened to a pudding consistency. Then, if you want to get in on the bacon, you could sprinkle the candied bacon on top.
-Use the best cocoa powder you can justify, as it is really the flavour base for this sorbet. Carlo went all crazy and insisted on Valhrona cocoa powder. It was <ahem> $13 for 250 grams, but WOW is it amazing.
DARK CHOCOLATE BACON CRUNCH SORBET
for the sorbet, adapted from The Sweet Life by Kate Zuckerman
3/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar
2 1/4 cups water
3 tbsp. corn syrup
6 oz. dark chocolate (we used two Valhrona chocolate bars, one 55% and the other 66%)
1 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
for the bacon
app. 8 slices of bacon (more or less depending on the meatiness of your bacon)
1/2 cup white sugar
Chop the chocolate into small pieces and combine it with the cocoa, which you have sifted into a medium stainless steel bowl.
On the stovetep, combine 2 1/4 cups water, sugar and corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil and then remove it from the heat.
Whisk 1/3 of the sugar syrup into the waiting bowl of chocolate. The chocolate will make you nervous at first, as it seizes a little. Add another 1/3 of the syrup, whisking all the time. By the time you add your last 1/3 of sugar syrup, the mixture should be smooth and silky. Continue whisking this mixture for about five minutes, until you think it’s smooth and silky. If you notice any chunks of cocoa in your sorbet base, you can pass it through a fine-mesh strainer. Cool the mixture over an ice bath (fill a bowl larger than the one your base is in with ice cubes and water. Place your bowl inside the icy bowl, and continue to whisk it until it is cool). Place your base in the refrigerator to cool completely and thicken. Zuckerman recommends at least four hours.
While your sorbet base is cooling, prepare your bacon. First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Next, coat your bacon slices with sugar. I did this by pouring a small amount of sugar onto a plate and then pressing the bacon into it. Next time, I might try just sprinkling it over the bacon, like this method. Place the bacon on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake it for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes, remove it from the oven, and turn it over, baking it for another 8 minutes. Keep a close eye on it, because it burns fast. When the bacon is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool before dicing it into small pieces. You should have about 1/2 cup of bacon bits to add to your sorbet. If you have any extra, reserve it for garnish.
After the sorbet base has cooled for a few hours, freeze it in your ice cream maching according to manufacturer’s instructions. It is done when it has gained volume and it holds the marks of the stirring mechanism, like stiffly-whipped cream. Now you have to work quickly. Remove the sorbet from your machine to a storage container, quickly stirring in your bacon bits in batches as you fill the container. Store your sorbet in the freezer for a couple hours to harden it. Or, if you’re like us, just ignore the last instructions and eat super-soft sorbet.
From http://www.supperinstereo.com’s Album |
23 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 7, 2007 at 10:51 am
SteamyKitchen
yum…bacon and sugar. i once tried to make bacon toffee – tasted great but looked like crap
November 7, 2007 at 12:13 pm
clynch
Bacon Toffee is a great idea. I searched out a link for anyone who is interested: http://www.offthebone.net/?p=169
I think Hanne understated how well this ice cream turned out. We have two batches of leftover sorbet in our freezer, one with bacon in it and the other without. I dipped into the leftovers last night, sneaking a scoop of each.
Zuckerman’s dark chocolate sorbet is great and Hanne’s bacon-mod makes it even better. The dark chocolate sorbet is incredibly rich. Almost too rich. I had a couple bites of the bacon-less version last night and I was… uh… craving the bacon. You know how dark chocolate dries out your mouth a little, leaving your tongue smacking at your palate? Well, the candied bacon tempers the richness of the dark chocolate. The sweet/salty bits that hang around in your gob after the sorbet melts away refresh your palate for the next bite.
Yes, bacon refreshed my palate. I just said that bacon refreshed my palate.
Anyway. Like our friends I too was skeptical of the bacon-choco sorbet note that had been pinned to our fridge. But no longer.
November 8, 2007 at 10:42 am
brilynn
I think we could be the best of friends… mmm bacon!
I’ve also made bacon toffee, it’s really addictive.
November 8, 2007 at 2:54 pm
Sara, Ms. Adventures in Italy
I love bacon, but I’m not sure I could do it in an ice cream. Toffee, now there’s an interesting idea! Anyway, kudos for experimenting!
November 8, 2007 at 3:13 pm
hannehanne
Brilynn, I’m definitely trying bacon toffee next. There’s this whole bacon world I’ve been missing!
Sara, it is a bit odd. I was actually pretty unsure of it too, but it worked better than I even imagined. Like Carlo said, we actually found that the bacon made the already delicious sorbet even more delicious.
I’ll have to try the toffee and report back.
November 8, 2007 at 6:08 pm
bacon grease » Blog Archive » Dark Chocolate Bacon Crunch Sorbet « Supper In Stereo
[…] Dark Chocolate Bacon Crunch Sorbet « Supper In Stereo […]
November 8, 2007 at 8:48 pm
happygrub
Hi guys,
The ice cream looks really chocolatey and the bacon bits look interesting. I don’t have an ice cream maker but I’m considering getting a Kenwood as its cheap. What’s the bramd of ur ice cream maker and how is it working for you so far?
Luv, Farhan
November 8, 2007 at 9:36 pm
hannehanne
Farhan,
We have a Cuisinart ice cream maker. Here’s a link to the model we have: http://tinyurl.com/2puu5t
We got it about six months ago and it’s gotten constant use since. I love it!
November 10, 2007 at 10:20 am
TrouterUSA
I’ve never heard of this. It sounds interesting! After reading the above comments, I’m convinced. I think I am going to give this a try.
November 10, 2007 at 10:27 am
hannehanne
I’m glad you want to try it! It’s absolutely worth a shot. We had high hopes, but were obviously a little unsure. It surpassed our expectations. Let us know how it turned out for you.
November 16, 2007 at 4:10 pm
mmmbacon
Sorry if I missed it, but does your recipe say how much water to use for the sorbet base? I have a friend who is hosting a post-Thanksiving chocolate and bacon-themed dinner party, and I thought this would be perfect. Thanks!
November 16, 2007 at 4:56 pm
hannehanne
Mmmbacon: Wow, thanks for catching that. The water is 2 1/4 cups. It’s fixed now.
April 8, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Spork Fu | Fun With Bacon: Bacon For Dessert
[…] decide on sugar or grease for an awesome post-dinner delight? Try both and make a Dark Chocolate Bacon Crunch Sorbet. Your taste buds will say “Thank you.”, your arteries will say, “Fuck you.” […]
April 19, 2008 at 2:29 am
Japanese Ice Cream
This bacon Ice Cream sound amazing. I love all weird and wonderful Japanese Ice cream like charcoal flavour, so I bet I love this.
Japanese Ice Cream
October 8, 2008 at 4:06 pm
It’s a Bacon Celebration — It Doesn’t Get Any Hotter Than This!
[…] ice creams, with peanut butter, Nutella and maple syrup. Want something lighter? How ’bout Dark Chocolate Bacon Crunch Sorbet? (Don’t look at the […]
October 12, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Green Tea Ice Cream « Supper In Stereo
[…] to the chocolate bacon sorbet skeptics: Lebovitz has a candied bacon ice cream, so we’re either not the only ones who know […]
November 4, 2008 at 1:49 am
Y
Love bacon, love chocolate sorbet. The combination throws me a little but I suspect I would absolutely love this.
November 5, 2008 at 6:37 am
hannehanne
Y- It actually took me a little while to muster the courage to taste the final product, even after we’d had the idea and put it together, but it works! It is very, very rich, though (of course).
August 18, 2009 at 4:36 am
100 Ways to Use a Stick of Bacon | Endless Simmer - A Food Blog
[…] […]
March 16, 2010 at 11:13 am
Janet Rudolph
Love this. Yum.. I would probably use applewood bacon.. but just preference. Can’t wait to make this!
May 4, 2011 at 2:14 am
100 Ways to Cook with Tequila
[…] for everyone. You’re welcome.) Ole!Click on the photos for full recipes. //LinkWithinCodeStart var linkwithin_site_id = 375365; var linkwithin_div_class = […]
August 25, 2012 at 4:35 pm
Rainy Sunday |
[…] sale at the store. Here’s the basic recipe. Also put the finishing touches on some Dark Chocolate Bacon Crunch Sorbet that I had started last night. Zach has the grill ready and starting to smoke some chicken and […]
September 16, 2013 at 2:22 pm
Rainy Sunday |
[…] sale at the store. Here’s the basic recipe. Also put the finishing touches on some Dark Chocolate Bacon Crunch Sorbet that I had started last night. Zach has the grill ready and starting to smoke some chicken and […]