Bacon: It's Not Just for Breakfast Anymore

"There are only two mantras, yum and yuk, mine is yum."
-- Tom Robbins

Bacon, and all other porcine products are guilty pleasures for me. I am cursed with high cholesterol and a doctor who seems to take great pleasure in nagging me about it, so I indulge in the flesh of the pig sparingly. Instead of a rack of ribs I will have one or two ribs at a BBQ, Canadian bacon instead of the real deal, and the occasional slice of prosciutto wrapped around asparagus or a piece of fruit to make it more virtuous. That is why I was so excited when I came across my new favorite chocolate treat; Mo's Bacon Bar, a combination of apple wood smoked bacon bits, smoked salt and milk chocolate made by Vosges Haut-Chocolat. Chocolate is supposed to help lower cholesterol, right? So, technically, the chocolate goodness neutralizes the bacon badness, and even if it doesn't, I love this stuff.

I am not alone. Bacon studded candy is just part of the latest foodie fad of adding pork to the pastry tray. Uncurl you lip for a moment and think about it; is bacon as a dessert component really that odd? Haven't you ever enjoyed the salty-sweet taste of bacon coated with the syrup dripping off your pancakes? How about prosciutto, bacon's Italian cousin, wrapped around figs or melon? The combination of fat, salt and sweet have been popular in candies for a long time; the Payday peanut and caramel candy bar, or the Bun Bar that added a maple center to the mix, or more recently sea-salted caramel.

Besides, we are not talking about greasy strips of bacon being folded into bundt cakes. Chefs have been creatively adding crispy bits of candied bacon (bacon that has been coated with brown sugar and baked until extra crispy) to such things as maple ice cream, French toast cupcakes, and even fudge.

But bacon's new star quality does not stop at the dessert tray. Since the food world is notorious for latching on to a favorite item and using it in every way possible until we get sick to death at the sight of it (pomegranates any one?) is it any surprise that there is a bacon flavored vodka on the market? Bakon Vodka (http://bakonvodka.com/) is selling like hot cakes (no pun intended) in the northwest part of the country right now, and if you can't purchase it where you live there are several recipes on line for making your own (http://www.browniepointsblog.com/2008/01/20/homemade-bacon-vodka/) .

My-husband-the-bartender does not put much stock in "foo foo flavored" liquor, but there are many mixologists who do, take the BLT cocktail for example: Bacon vodka and tomato juice topped with a float of lettuce water (lettuce that has been put through a juicer or blender with some lemon juice). Or if vodka is not your thing, how about bacon infused bourbon in a Manhattan? (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=bacon+infused+bourbon&aq=1&oq=bacon+infused&aqi=g4)

My current favorite bacon influenced cocktail is served at Jax's Kitchen here in Tucson. Aptly named, The Best, it consists of Kettle One Vodka and three large bacon stuffed olives. Booze cuts cholesterol, right?