Okay guys it’s December and time to start thinking about those foodie gifts if you haven’t done so already. This bacon chocolate bark will have to made just before giving as it doesn’t keep long but it is so moreish it never lasts long anyway! So don’t just think of bacon for breakfast.
Oh I can just see some of you wincing at the mere thought of combining bacon (that ultimate piggy breakfast food) with their beloved chocolate (that ultimate sweet treat) but I asure you folks I haven’t lost the plot completely this combo really works and once you’ve tried this bacon chocolate bark yourself you will agree and be making more and more of the stuff.
The trick is to make sure that the bacon is really crisp and dry before combining it with the chocolate and nuts. If the bacon is at all soft and wet it will not work and you will end up with something that has a one way ticket to the bin.
This bacon chocolate bark is packed with all sorts of flavours, I use walnuts for crunch as well as the crispy bacon and have cardamom, chilli and fennel in there as well as just a wee pinch of sea salt flakes.
Use high quality dark chocolate with over 70% cocoa solids for your bacon chocolate bark, milk chocolate makes it all just too sweet. The dark chocolate works really well with all those savoury goodies you are adding.
So here we are with bacon chocolate bark, another foodie gift for Christmas.
K x
- 6 rashers of smoked streaky bacon
- 50g walnuts chopped
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds
- 4 cardamom pods (seeds removed and pods discarded)
- Pinch of dried chilli flakes
- Pinch of sea salt flakes
- 200g dark chocolate chopped
- Grill the bacon on a rack until crisp and drain on kitchen roll and cool
- Crumble the cooled bacon
- Toast the walnuts in a dry pan for 1 minute till golden and aromatic, tip into bowl
- Toast the fennel seeds and cardamom for 30 seconds
- Grind the toasted seeds with chilli flakes and sea salt in pestle and mortar
- Melt chocolate in a bain marie (glass bowl over pan of simmering water but make sure water does not touch base of bowl
- Stir in the spice mix
- Pour the chocolate on to baking tray lined with patchment
- Scatter over the crumbled bacon and the toasted walnuts
- Set in fridge then break roughly into shards and pieces
- Pack in bags and store in fridge for up to 2 days
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