A Sprinkle, dash and flash into the oven, check your temperatures, calibrate your range and load up on chocolate chunks, but be sure to spread the batter evenly, choose the right amount of gluten and prick the top to know when to start the cooling.  These are the things that accumulate my hours of late as I develop this new line of baking mixes set to hit this fall.

Last year, I developed Mo’s Bacon Chocolate Pancake Mix to bring my original bacon + chocolate concept back to its roots in Ft Wayne Indiana on the side of the highway.  It all began with chocolate chip pancakes lingering with drizzles of maple syrup and strips of sizzling hot bacon on my childhood breakfast plate.  The response to the pancake mix has been uplifting and inspiring.  I have always enjoyed customer feedback but the comments, questions and suggestions from people who have been mixing, flipping and serving these pancakes has added a new level of engagement with customers.  It is a more of a two-way street as we must both put in effort, working together, before the final product is ready for tasting.

The development of mixes is very different than the development of a new truffle or candy bar.  Knowing that someone will take these ingredients into their kitchens and produce the final product him or herself means a new type of information must be provided… instructions!  In developing the pancake mix I found that separating the yolks and whites of the eggs made a big difference and that mixing the batter too much released the precious air bubbles caused by the baking soda resulting in flat flapjacks.  Added hints and tips along the way made the directions a bit longer but also revealed some great tricks of the trade. My hope is that there is no guessing involved in how things should look.

Though not quite like cooking together, this new relationship with home cooks has been inspiring and fun.  I start the process and send it out in the world for others to help finish and also add their personal touch.  Baking mixes open up room for more creativity from people like you.
Always motivated by a challenge, I found the chemist in me stimulated as I work towards the perfect baking mixes. In the past months, I have likely made over one hundred batches of cookies.  The scientific aspect of baking, the portions, ingredients, processes, temperatures and even the perfect size cookie scoop can make all the difference.

I look forward to working together with you in just a few months. Until then, I will continue to make dozens more batches of brownies, cookies and cakes, honing the ingredients and noting the tips and tidbits that will help make them divinely delicious.

No, That is Not Steamy Cream

Like any new babe, these sweet little babies are not quite ready to venture out into the world just yet, well except for maybe a potential sneak peek to some that may find themselves on a Vosges taste-tester list soon. (If you are interested, please email your name and address here. The first 100 lucky people will be put on the coveted list!) Nevertheless, by autumn, you can all be sure to to find a line of vegan truffles that are truly, my new favorite obsession.

The idea has been stirring within for some time as I am a frequent spa-goer and a fan of the master cleanse – so a vegan program is no stranger to me. I felt even more compelled toward the vegan side of things when at Le Cordon Bleu we dealt with every offal, trotter and tongue you could imagine. I often feel caught and suspended, between two worlds. One side is drawn to the decadence of haute cuisine, the indulgence in sumptuous traditions of foie gras and duck fat; while my other half is pulled towards clean, healthy, spare-the-animal, super food love.

It is likely that on a recent trip to We Care Spa in Desert Palm Springs and a visit to the island of free hippie clean eating Kauai, that the reminder and call from the mighty cacao in its purest form hit me over the head. And so my two sides crossed like a solar eclipse. A set of dark chocolate, vegan truffles packed with super foods…Could it be?

To make a traditional truffle, you often add cream to chocolate. So the trick to a vegan truffle is creating a soft, sensuous chocolate bite without any dairy. I started with 100% cacao chocolate another challenge that may lead you to a bitter over note. Instead of cream, I am using coconut milk and some agave for sweetening. But, I just read an article on how agave is actually highly processed and the old agave methods are not used for the widely distributed agave nectar. Still searching, I may be back to Stevia soon.

As for flavors, I am still playing. But, anticipate walnuts, acai rolled in young green mango powder, caramelized cocoa nibs and probably matcha green tea. Looking forward to letting the cat out of the bag tout de suite.

Hot Spanish Chorizo Meets Chocolate and the Yolk

My first foray with chorizo and chocolate came with this recipe for Bacon Bar and raw and soft Chorizo Stuffed Dates baked with Spicy Oaxaca Red Sauce.  In this latest experiment, I wanted to simplify and break it down as a quick umami seduction.  Ingredients are always important but for this, the right ingredients are CRITICAL. Below are links and exact ingredients and if you follow them… I promise that you will find yourself in a new realm of flavor phenomenon.  The combination of spicy Spanish chorizo atop a slick of tart 74% dark chocolate and a cushion of freshly baked Spanish bread will blow your mind. Seriously, I’m not just talking this up.

Start with this glossy visual — green olive oil beds the river of russet chili oil  that seeps from the chorizo into the dainty caverns of the freshly baked bread, as the dominican chocolate pastilles slowly melt from the heat.  A sprinkle of my favorite Maldon salt atop it all balances the chocolate sweet.  The rich, bitter dark chocolate stands up to the spicy hot chorizo.  And, that bread… the perfect Spanish bread serves as a magic carpet for it all. You must buy the Galician bread and bake fresh. 

For high quality Spanish ingredients, delivered right to your door, try La Tienda.  Once you start exploring this site, you may end up with more than just bread and chorizo.  The Jamon Iberico, Croquetas, Zamorano cheese…. I can almost feel the flamenco dancers stomp on my heart.  These Chorizo + Chocolate bites would work well alongside other tapas.  Or, just consider…breakfast.  In my house, we eat chocolate for breakfast. Seriously good.  Yolks and chocolate, why not?! 

Chorizo + Dominican Chocolate Tapas

Hot Palacios Chorizo from Spain
Traditional Galician Bread – Barra Gallega
Spanish Arbequina Olive Oil
Maldon Salt
Dark Chocolate – 74% Organic Dominica Noir

Per instructions, finalize the baking of the bread in your oven.  When cooled slice bread in 1/2 inch thick pieces. Drizzle with Spanish olive oil.  Place 2-3 broken bits of chocolate on top of the bread.  Place 2-3 slices of hot chorizo on top of the chocolate, sprinkle with Maldon salt.  Place in the oven at 250 for 8 minutes to melt and heat. Take out of the oven and eat immediately.

arriba!

Pairings of Tea and Chocolate

I have been submerged in tea of late though my wont of combining tea + chocolate is not entirely new.  I first infused jasmine tea in white chocolate when I started Vosges in 1998, it was in my list of first 21 truffles ever created, but it was cut from the exotic truffle collection launch. Then years later is was finally debuted in the spring Les Fleurs du Chocolat truffle collection.  The Siam truffle combines jasmine green tea, lemongrass, fresh coconut and Dominican white chocolate and topped with a bright marigold petal (the combo based on an across the river, barefoot drinking tea memory at The Oriental Hotel’s spa in Bangkok).  The fragrant jasmine tea against the sweet white chocolate is as refreshing as a honeysuckle spring gale.

Some years later, I added the Matcha Bar to our line of Exotic Candy Bars after attending my first Japanese tea ceremony in Kyoto. Japanese Matcha Green Tea (a young green tea pulverized into poudre) is combined with 41% deep milk chocolate. The grassy and bamboo undertones of the green tea gently rise around deep milk chocolate, making this a can’t-stop-nibbling bar.

More  recently, I have further immersed myself into tea + chocolate pairings through collaborations with tea experts. My friend Arsen is owner of Argo Tea, another Chicago-based food company and a neighboring boutique at O’Hare. There are many synergies between the two of us in our gathering of teas, spices and flowers from around the world, so Arsen and I decided to create a tea and chocolate series for his tea shoppes. The three new bars include Chai, Green Tea Ginger Twist and Tea Sangria.  I am currently working on my favorite with their breathtakingly beautiful hibiscus pomegranate tea. Stay tuned.

Last week, in order to taste some teas from another tea friend, MLTea, I broke out my new Zojirushi electric water heater specifically for tea.  It takes all the guesswork out of perfecting tea brewing.  You just set the temperature for the proper tea and start infusing.  If you are brewing all tea at the same temperature, you must get up to speed!  Find a basic tea brewing temperature guide here. Or, just buy a Zojirushi to do all the work for you.  Ahh… Japanese gadgets, I love you.

To pair tea + chocolate, gather a few of your favorite teas and a variety of chocolates.  (The Exotic Mini Candy Bar Library will get you off to a good start.) I usually like to take a sip of the tea first to warm my mouth.  Then, a nibble of the chocolate and another sip.  It is good to experiment taking the chocolate in while the liquid is still in your mouth or after.  Inhale deeply and become aware of the different flavors evolving on your tongue.  In a proper pairing, the two will enhance each other.

Some of my favorite MLTea-Vosges Exotic Candy Bar pairings were the Kyoto Rice tea with Matcha Bar or the Naga Bar.  The toasted rice adds a warm toasty flavor that is nice against Naga’s curry.  The Verbena Mint Organic is nice alongside a straight Organic Dominica Noir dark chocolate.

Both tea drinking and Exotic Chocolate Bar tasting lend themselves to ceremony.  This winter, break out your teacups and linens and turn a cozy afternoon into a tea pairing party.

Chocolate Oysters

As I mentioned in the last post, I have been enjoying oysters in my kitchen for the past weeks as I scheme up Valentine’s Day chocolate aphrodisiacs with my dear friend Vanessa. She is an incredible singer songwriter that as I am discovering has an incredible gift for all the senses.  Could she be a super taster super ear, super olfactory etc… is there something to that – could Bob Marley have been blessed with the same astuteness for taste? I digress.  Being that the oyster is the mighty, famed symbol of aphrodisiacs how could I not tempt fate and conjure up something with chocolate. The nuances of an oyster are multifarious. There are many varieties and they range in complexity and strength from delicate to pungently powerful.  My preferred choice for oysters are the Kumamotos from the bays of Northern California. These oysters are like inhaling the sweet breath of the sea.  They smell of fresh tidal pools trapped between the mossy rocks.  James Beard once said that oysters are  “one of the supreme delights that nature has bestowed on man. … Oysters lead to discussion, to contemplation, and to sensual delight. There is nothing quite like them.”

Much like chocolate, the oyster is a mysterious love that cannot fully be explained. For this recipe, I have chosen to anoint the oysters with chocolate in its nearly basic form, the cocoa nib.  Mixed with some fragrant ginger and tart green apple, you will discover a variety of texture while your nose uncovers layer after layer.

Oysters with Cocoa Nibs, Ginger and Green Apple

Yields approximately 1/8 cup and can be used on 2 dozen oysters.

1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon cocoa nibs
4 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon tamari
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon granny smith apple brunoise
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Clean and shuck oysters. Find step by step instructions here. (I prefer Kumumoto oysters. You can order them here.) Mix all above ingredients together and let it sit for ten minutes. Spoon onto a perfectly plump and sumptuous oyster, admire her beauty and gently sip the briny, fresh mother of the pearl.

Raising the Bar on Drinking Chocolate

When I was a child, there were virtually no coffee shops, espresso drinks or coffee connoisseurs.  The majority of Americans accepted grocery store brew as the norm.  A few decades ago, the first cafes began opening and within some years, lattes, cappuccinos and macchiatos became part of daily routine.  Opinions were formed on how to prepare the best drinks, specialty coffee producers thrived and high end espresso making equipment was purchased for the home.  This country experienced a coffee revolution.

With the advent of coffee houses on every corner came powdered hot chocolate made with steamed milk as an alternative to the spitting spout of convenience stores.  Though you can hardly say it is much of an improvement. Why is it so rarely found a fully frothed, traditional drinking chocolate made with real chocolate to satiate chocolate lovers desires.  I think it is time for a drinking chocolate revolution!  I dream of heavily frothed cocoa with thick foam and molinillos in most utensil drawers.

Interested in joining my crusade?  Let’s drink to it!  How about a perfect cup of chocolat chaud?  Below is the beginning of a drinking chocolate education along with tips and tricks. I’ll keep exploring drinking chocolate this winter.  Join me.

QUALITY CHOCOLATE
It is essential to use quality chocolate to make the best drinking chocolate.  Ingredients are key in all culinary escapades when you hope to end up with the best end result. Do not choose chocolate with fillers and low cacao percentage.  For our La Parisienne drinking chocolate, I include chocolate, Madagascan vanilla bean infused sugar and cocoa powder for an boost of chocolate intensity.

MILK, CREAM OR WATER?
As a stagiaire at the Hotel de Crillon in Paris, my job was to make the chocolat chaud. We used equal parts cream and full fat milk.  The result was  thick, rich drinking chocolate.  I have enjoyed drinking chocolate made with all different milks, dairy and nut milks.  I would suggest never using a microwave to warm it (it kills all the enzymes so I don’t even own one) and frothing the milk by hand or with a blender to feel the sensation that Montezema and the Aztecs did (see below.)  If you are doing cupping or if you are a die hard chocolate purist you may insist on drinking chocolate made with water to taste the full breath of the chocolate as milk tends to mask the chocolate a bit.  

FROTHING COCOA
This is a step that is most often forgotten. The Aztecs, Mayans and Olmecs were the first to sip a chocolate beverage over 500 years ago which was called  xocatyl. This drinking chocolate was a far cry from the type we sip today, a mixture of chillies, annatto, maize and spices, served room temperature. The tincture was poured between two vessels from great heights in order to achieve the revered foam atop—believed to be the most potent portion of the beverage and to hold aphrodisiac powers. Years later when Spanish conquistador Hernando Cortés brought xocatyl back to Spain, the molinillo was created to simplify the foaming process.

To use a Mexican molinillo (pictured left), immerse the end in liquid chocolate and rub the handle rapidly between your palms. Watch as the foam begins to rise.   You may also use a blender or  immersion blender to froth the liquid chocolate as at time the molinillo can take almost 30 minutes to really build a big foam.

With any tasting, texture adds a new layer to the experience.  The light, airy bubbles will burst gently in your mouth followed by the rush of warm liquid chocolate.

Stay tuned for additional experiments with drinking chocolate in the coming months.  The cold Chicago wind is starting to nip at our noses and whistle by the windows.  I’ll be huddling up to the stove warming chocolate!

Sufganiyot – Traditional Jewish Doughnuts

Fried Dough. Really, what could be better? It must be the  3 Rivers Festival and 10-year-old memories of eating elephant ears from the Red Barn. There is just something about Carni’ food that tickles the nostalgia button and stimulates the salivary glands. I have such vivid memories of reaching through that sliding window to grasp my hot dough with the background music of the squeaky tilt-a-whirl and screaming kids.

In fact, it was fried dough oozing with chocolate that gave inspiration to the name Vosges Haut-Chocolat. While I was a culinary student in Paris, I longed to dine at the famed Michelin three star restaurant,  L’Ambrosie, in the Place des Vosges. Chef Patrick Terrien of Le Cordon Bleu called ahead to have the restaurant staff take special care us- thus I quickly found myself (and my palate) in the adept hands of Bernard Pacaud of L’Ambrosie. It was there that I had my first chocolate experience. This epiphany of chocolate came in the form of a truffle beignet–- a rich, dark chocolate truffle encased in light, fluffy beignet batter and fried golden to turn the molten center into a burst of liquid chocolate upon the sinking in of my teeth. In a bite, it was all at once crisp, soft, hot, rich and gushing, a chocolate moment unparalleled. When I was thinking about what to name my chocolate company, I continued to recall my first true chocolate experience in Le Place des Vosges. So it had to be and Vosges Haut-Chocolat was born.

So, I take you from the Ft. Wayne, Indiana’s 3 Rivers Festival to Paris’ Place des Vosges and now to Jewish doughnuts in Chicago.

Awhile back, I tore this recipe for Sufganiot out of a magazine. They are traditional, Jewish doughnuts usually served at Hanukkah. My husband, a Hebrew man that likes the Grateful Dead and fried food always inspires me to make him happy. So, I often find myself on a quest to master traditional recipes and serve him familiar and meaningful foods. Though I doubt he has ever had a Sufganiot, it was fried and sweet, and seemingly his perfect treat.

Though Sufganiot are usually jam-filled, I unsurprisingly altered the recipe substituting a warm chocolate center, distantly reminiscent of the truffle beignets that changed my life in the Place des Vosges in Paris years ago. I also experimented with an apricot conserve and cocoa nib filling that was delicious but only if you use preserves the likes of June Taylor’s pluot conserve or Harvest Song’s Armenian Apricot preserve.

As shown in the photo, I experimented filling each with a different square of our Exotic Candy Bars and traveling the world through doughnuts we shall go.

Sufganiyot

3/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees)
1 envelope active dry yeast (1 scant tablespoon)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup sugar, plus 1/2 cup for coating
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs, separated
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
peanut oil, for frying plus more for bowl
1/4 cup apricot or blackberry jam or conserve or a Vosges Haut-Chocolat Exotic Candy Bar of your choice

1. In a large metal bowl, stir together warm water and yeast. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. Add 3/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and salt; mix until well combined. Add egg yolks and remaining 1 3/4 cups flour. Mix until combined, then knead dough in bowl until all flour is incorporated. Turn out dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead a few minutes until smooth. Knead in margarine until incorporated.

Transfer dough to a well-oiled bowl; turn dough several times to coat entirely with oil. Cover tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

About 30 minutes before you’re ready to form doughnuts, remove dough from refrigerator to let come to room temperature. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough into an 11 inch square about 1/8 inch thick. Using a 2 inch cookie cutter (or a glass), cut out about 24 rounds, dipping cutter in flour as needed to prevent sticking. Re-roll scraps and cut out about 16 more rounds.

Line a baking sheet with a clean kitchen towel. In a small bowl, lightly beat egg whites. Brush edge of a dough round with egg white, then mount 1/2 teaspoon jam or chocolate bar pieces in center, or both. Top with another round and press edges to seal. Repeat process with remaining rounds. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; let doughnuts rise until puffy, 20 to 30 minutes.

Heat a few inches of oil in a large (4-5 quart) heavy pot until it registers 360 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer or a scrap of dough sizzles upon contact. Working in batches of 4 to 5, carefully slip doughnuts into hot oil. Fry, turning once until golden brown about 1 minute. Using a slotted spoon, transfer doughnuts to paper towels to drain.

Place remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a medium bowl. While doughnuts are still hot, toss them in sugar, turning to coat. Serve immediately.

Bacon Bar and Chorizo Stuffed Dates with Spicy Oaxaca Red Sauce

This recipe is inspired by a signature dish of likely my favorite restaurant in Chicago, avec. Chef Koren Grieveson is epic and this is the spot I bring all out of town and in town guests to not only experience the food but the creative, easy going vibe. The air pulses with energy, the communal seating promises a chance encounter and the room buzzes with great tunes. It is an absolute must-try. They don’t take reservations and thank God they are open late. I think this is the only late night spot in Chicago where you can eat something other than a burrito. Can anyone tell me why Chicago closes shop so early? avec is open until midnight on weekdays and 1 am on weekends.

The taleggio foccaccia and bacon wrapped chorizo stuffed dates are two of my passions on the menu. I have created my own version of Koren’s dates, by of course, adding chocolate to the dates and in the sauce. The magic of that salty and spicy meat, a touch of sweet chocolate and some acidic tomato is heightened by a roasting process that brings it all together. Spread the flavor and try it out.

Bacon Bar and Chorizo Stuffed Dates with Spicy Oaxaca Red Sauce

yields: 15 stuffed dates & sauce

For bacon bar stuffed dates:
15 medium-sized Medjool dates
2 chorizo sausages, casings removed, raw and spicy
1, 3 oz. Vosges Mo’s Bacon Bar (or 3 segments Couverture Bar, cut into 4 pieces per square)
8 slices Nueske’s Applewood Smoked Bacon
1 batch of Spicy Oaxacan Red Sauce (recipe follows)
cilantro for serving

For Spicy Oaxacan Red Sauce:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium sweet Spanish onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine or sherry to deglaze
1 lb skinned, heirloom tomatoes or canned San Marzano tomatoes
2 oz. Vosges Haut-Chocolat Oaxaca Bar
1/2 dried chipotle chili, reconstituted in water, seeded
1 tbsp olive oil to finish
salt to taste
3 splashes liquid smoke
1 tsp cumin

Cut the dates on one side lengthwise and remove the pits. Break each 3 oz. bacon bar square into 4 pieces. Cut bacon strips in half. Stuff each date with 1 tbsp of chorizo and place a piece of bacon bar in the center of the chorizo. Fold chorizo around chocolate and close date. Wrap each date in half a piece of bacon. Sear bacon-wrapped dates over high heat in an ungreased pan until crispy. Set aside.

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in large stock pan. Add onion and garlic with salt and sugar, cooking over medium heat until translucent. Add tomato paste and deglaze pan with sherry; cook until the majority of alcohol is boiled off, about 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, Oaxaca bar and chipotle chili. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Purée with an immersion blender until smooth. Add cumin, liquid smoke and season to taste with olive oil and salt.

In a deep baking sheet (about 1″ side walls) pour Oaxaca red sauce about half-way up the sheet. Transfer the seared dates to the baking sheet, spacing each about 1 inch apart. Bake the dates in sauce for 25 minutes. Serve in sauce, garnish with cilantro and bacon bar shavings.

If you have been following Peace, Love & Chocolate, you know I have been on a panini and bacon + chocolate kick.  Finally, I combine them both.  This recipe was first debuted at our chocolate degustation table at the TED conference in Monterey California three years ago.  TED is one of the most inspiring events of my year. It is a gathering of active minds and those that break new ground, reinvent, question, discuss and share.  My team and I have fallen so in love with TED talks that we now devote Friday mornings at Vosges to TED FRIDAYS and show TED talks to our entire company.  Everyone leaves feeling very inspired and thinking outside the box. Maybe it would be cool for your company? 

Certainly one of the most memorable speakers I heard was Jill Bolte Taylor.  She is a brilliant Indiana native and Harvard grad who studies the brain and shares insight through the experience of her own stroke. Watch and listen here. (Warning, you may not want to watch WHILE you are enjoying your panino as she displays a real, human brain.)

Back to the panini at hand…Use your left hemisphere to follow the easy recipe and treat yourself to a Bacon + Chocolate panino. Then, step to the right of your left hemisphere to taste and feel the aromas, textures and flavors.   At our Vosges Degustation Soirees we really play up the savory element of the bacon in this paninis by adding a wonderful slice of gruyere cheese, a piece of sizzling bacon, a dollop of whole grain mustard and spear each panino with a cherry tomato and a gherkin. Try this alternative as a fun hors d’oeuvre!

Mo’s Milk or Dark Bacon Bar Panini
Yields One Sandwich

Equipment needed: Panini press or waffle iron or clothes iron and cast iron plan (see tips below)

2 Italian country bread slices about 4-5 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick
2 tbsp Sea salted butter, the great French brand, Isigny Ste Mere or make your own by mixing 1/2 tsp Maldon salt and 2 tbsp of a fabulous butter. One of my favorites is from Vermont Butter and Cheese Company
Pinch Maldon salt
2 squares Vosges‘ Mo’s Milk or Dark Bacon Bar
2 strips of crispy bacon (optional), I love the thick sliced

Spread butter on all sides of the bread. Place bacon bar squares on one piece of bread, followed by strips of bacon if you are using them and a sprinkle of salt. Place other piece of buttered bread on top and press with Panini press until golden brown.

Tips:
Make sure your bread doesn’t have many gaping holes or your fillings may seep through and burn.

If you don’t have a Panini press substitute with a waffle iron as you see I did in the photos. Or try a cast iron skillet hold with a clothes iron on top – quite the contraption I assure you.

Make sure the bread you use isn’t overly crusty or it may cut your mouth a bit when pressed. At the same time don’t choose a overly soft bread not a good quality sign either and it won’t have the rigidity. I suggest a crusty ciabatta or italian peasant bread.

Use organic or home grown where possible.

Maple Chocolate Pudding Speared with a Bacon Spoon

The first time I ordered bacon to stand at attention while knee deep in chocolate was in 2003 at the opening of our Soho boutique.  This recipe is the original ancestor of the growing Vosges bacon + chocolate family and the first manifestation of my childhood bacon and chocolate dreams. This sensuous appetizer reappeared at my 2005 gypsy wedding to my Love where mini shot glasses were handed out amongst the trees to guests who eagerly reached for the bacon spear spoon.  

First you grasp the crisp strip dripping in the “pudding,” slowly bring it to your mouth and marvel at the taste of the sweet, maple-scented pudding. Dip again with your bacon and nibble as you spoon in the richness of the pudding.  Often the bacon spear is finished before the pudding has vanished and I have many times witnessed guests drink down the final drops or reach for an extra bacon spoon to finish off the last drops.  SO be sure to have extras arranged on a platter. Trust me they will disappear.

Sizzlin’ Bacon in Shot Glasses with Maple Syrup “Pudding”

5 oz milk chocolate, 45% cacao is my favorite, melted
3 oz heavy whipping cream 
2 oz maple syrup – Grade A maple syrup amber
Vanilla bean, sliced in half and seeded (optional)
Bacon, Nueskes apple wood smoked thick cut
1 tbsp Alderwood smoked salt

Yields: 1 1/2 cups about 6 servings ( 2 oz per serving)

For a stronger vanilla flavor soak the vanilla bean and scraped pod overnight in the cream.

The next day:
Preheat oven to 375F.  Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and line with bacon. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown.

Boil cream with vanilla bean seeds and pod. Once the boil is reached turn off the heat and let infuse and cool for 10 minutes. Pour the cream atop the melted milk chocolate.  Using a whisk, stir chocolate, cream and maple syrup slowly together to a glossy emulsion.

Partially fill vodka shot glass or Riedel “O” glasses  or any small cute cups with the warm pudding.  Sprinkle with a pinch of smoked salt and place a spear of bacon in the center sticking out from top.  Serve “pudding” warm. Encourage guests to use the bacon as a “spoon” to eat the pudding, nibbling it down as they go. Be sure to serve extra bacon on the side.

Alternative presentation:
Skewer the bacon on long wooden skewer sticks, weaving the raw bacon onto the stick.  Bake the skewers to golden brown. Remove from oven, place on a platter and drizzle with chocolate maple “pudding.” A show shopper either way, I assure you.

These are wonderful hors d’oeuvres for breakfast and dinner.