New Food Wednesday - June 20, 2012

No it's not a new incarnation of that damnable retro-cheese ball monstrosity, but it does involve bacon.

Find out what it is after the jump!


It's a "Bacon-Chocolate-Bourbon Truffle"!  Hopefully future generations won't look down on our current obsession with bacon like most people now frown on "Cheese-Whiz."  But in the meantime, I'm always looking for a new way to use bacon.

So bacon bourbon is all the rage in the gastro-bar movement at the moment, and that got me to thinking: "What else goes with bourbon?"   Chocolate of course!  And thus the "Bacon-Chocolate-BourbonTruffle" was born.

INGREDIENTS
-1 lb. dark chocolate broken into small chunks (at least 60% cocoa)
-1 cup heavy cream
-3 Tbs. Jack Daniels (or other whiskey/ bourbon)
-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
-1/8 tsp. kosher salt
-finely crumbled bacon for topping (1 lb. of cooked and crumbled bacon should be enough)

DIRECTIONS
Heat the milk, heavy cream, whiskey, vanilla, and salt in a large double boiler, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and all lumps have been removed.

Set the chocolate mixture aside for a minimum of 1 hour, or until semi-firm.

Roll a small amount of the chocolate mixture into a small ball approximately 1 inch in diameter.

Roll the ball through the bacon crumbs, and chill throughly.

To eat, simply return the truffle to room temperature and enjoy.

Eat good food.  Drink good beer.  And above all, stay classy!