Chocolate-Covered Bacon

Insanity knows no bounds.  I may very well have crossed that line this morning for our friend, Audrey.  Not only is she a dear friend, Audrey is our favorite priest at our church, Christ Church Cathedral.  There is nothing she could ask of me that I wouldn't do. Nothing. Trust me.  Nobody says no to Audrey.  I wouldn't dream of it.

And so it was this past Sunday at church.  Michael and I were in the communion line deciding whether to go to the left or right side of the alter for communion.  We chose left.  Audrey's side.  Before handing me the communion wafer, she bent over and whispered, " See you at lunch on Tuesday.  I'm putting in my pre-order for dessert:  Bacon."  "You'll Have it.", I responded.  Wafer.  Wine.  Amen.

Audrey adores bacon.  She's crazy for it.  I've made her brown sugar-glazed bacon, bacon wrapped cheese filled jalapenos, creamy bacon tomato soup, and candied bacon.  Bacon.  Bacon.  Bacon.

Every year at Christmas time, Audrey, the choir masters, and other choir parents bring our Cathedral Girls' Choir to the restaurant for a luncheon following a holiday concert.  Bacon dessert.  I pondered what to do.  I thought about making maple bacon cupcakes.  There are a gazillion recipes for those floating around the internet, but I am not a baker.  Not. At. All.

This morning before work, I foraged through our pantry in search of bacon dessert ingredients.

When I found Belgian chocolate tucked behind the turbinado sugar, I had an Aha! moment.

Ancho Chile & Cayenne Chile Pepper Chocolate-Cover Bacon, with candied pecans.

Crazy.

I pulled 5 slabs of thick cut bacon from our refrigerator meat drawer, placed them on a parchment-lined baking sheet, brushed them with pure maple syrup, and slid them into a 350 degree oven to cook.

While the bacon popped and sizzled in the oven, I dropped 1 cup of broken Belgian milk chocolate pieces into a double boiler on top of the stove to gently melt over simmering water.  I stirred the chocolate constantly until it melted and glistened.  Gorgeous.

When the bacon was caramelized and crisp, I pulled it out to drain and cool down before coating it completely with the gooey shiny melted chocolate.  While it was still warm, I showered the chocolate with sweet musky ancho chile powder and fiery hot ground cayenne chile pepper.  Just before the chocolate hardened, I nestled candied pecan pieces into it.

Insanity.

I gave Audrey her bacon dessert before she ate lunch at the restaurant today.  "Do I have to share?", she asked.

Nope.

It could possibly have been one of the most outrageous things I've ever made, but it was beautiful.