Bacon Carmel

serves

cooking time

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Prehead Oven
Ingredients
  1. 4 thick slices bacon(preferably a high-quality, super-smoky one like Nueske's), coarsely chopped
  2. 1 cup heavy cream
  3. 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  4. 1/4 cup light corn syrup
  5. 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, a cut into cubes
  6. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
What to do?
In a small saucepan, heat the bacon over medium heat until starts to brown, 5 to 8 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water and the cream, scrape the pan, and bring to a bare simmer. COver the pan, reduce teh heat to low, and simmer the bacon cream for 20 minutes, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally.

Use a slotted spoon or a strainer to remove all the bacon from the pan, and discard the bacon. Cool the cream until it is a lukewarm. Then using a stick blender, blend the cream for about 1 minute to help homogenzie the cream ad bacon fat. Reserve the bacon cream in the firdge.

Combine the sugar, corn syrup and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan, and stir until all of the sugar looks wet. Cover, put the pan over medium-high heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has completely melted, about 3 minutes.

Continue to cook, covered but this time without stirring, until the mixture has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove the lid and continue cooking, without stirring but paying close attention, until the mixture turns teh color of dark maple syrup, about 5 minutes more.

Take the pan off the heat, and immediately pour in the bacon cream in a nice steady stream(Whatever you do, do not dump it all in at once!), whisking as you pour. It'll bubble furiously.

Put the pan over medium-high heat again. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Let the mixture simmer away, stirring it occasionally, until it registers 232 degrees F on the thermometer, 5 to 8 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and add the butter and salt, stirring slowly but constantly until the butter has completely melted.

Let the caramel cool to room temperature before using or transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the firdge for up to 2 weeks. Before using, gently reheat until the drizzleable. Separation is totally normal; just make sure to it well before using it.