Not Exactly a Pig in a Blanket

My bacon + chocolate experiment has been many years in the making and continues to evolve.  This year, I am taking it nearly full circle, right back to where I started:

1979: I began experimenting with bacon + chocolate at the tender age of 6, while eating chocolate chip pancakes drenched in Aunt Jemima® syrup served aside sizzling bacon.  Beside my stack of cakes, the bacon strips would swim in the flowing syrup and melted chocolate chips.  That became my favorite dipping sauce for bacon… and so the story begins.

2003: The opening of the Vosges Haut-Chocolat SoHo boutique in New York.  A desire to create sweet and savory, chocolate experiences for our guests led to a maple chocolate pudding in vodka glasses speared with crispy bacon.

2006: The Groove Collection launches.  Inside, the Blues truffle combines deep milk chocolate and my favorite, Nueske’s smoked bacon.

2007: To spread the word of bacon + chocolate far and wide, a candy bar was born.  In honor of my bacon-loving-fiend friend Mo, who believes everything is better with bacon, it was named Mo’s Bacon Bar. (Oh and he runs Zingerman’s mail order my favorite food mail order company.)

2008: Two new members join the bacon + chocolate family. For Mo’s wedding,  bacon + chocolate took flight in the form of a Flying Chocolate Pig.  Shortly after, the mini Mo’s Bacon Bar was born.

2009: And now the great unveiling…  A pancake mix that includes addictive bites of bacon and chocolate, circling the story back to its inception at my childhood breakfast plate. Keep reading and you may get to taste them….

Crystal Ball: It is still a little hazy, but it looks like a dark chocolate bacon bar.  Watch your inbox July 2009.

Ready to heat up your griddle?  Here’s a sneak preview of Mo’s Bacon Chocolate Pancake Mix for the first 50 takers.  CLICK HERE to make your way to a secret page on the Vosges site to buy the initial batch of this new product.  If you choose to partake, please use the Comments feature on this post to let me know how they work out.

For those who try the mix, here are a few extra tips for your first batch:

1. Do NOT over mix the batter.  When you stir too much, you release the carbon dioxide bubbles from the leavening agents and your pancakes will not be light and fluffy.

2. I highly, highly suggest using a little bacon fat on your griddle.  It brings all the flavors together.  Butter will also work just fine. But hey, serving the bacon is a must with the pancakes so you’ll have the fat, might as well use it.

3. You can either drop the Mo’s Bacon Bar chocolate chunks into the pancakes while cooking.  OR, put them between pancakes stacked up high.  Be sure to layer the chocolate in when the pancakes are hot so it will melt and ooze.

4. Want an extra adventure? Try making your own buttermilk.

Looking forward to your feedback!