Bacon from Heaven
About this Recipe
By: Rachel
This week marks the birthday of The Eating Emporium. I dreamed for so long about creating this blog, and—like all accomplishments—I couldn’t have done it alone. My friend Kristina gave me the tools and inspiration I needed to get started. My friend Allison built this beautiful site and she, with so many others, tested the recipes and gave me feedback to improve them. Amanda has stepped in to elevate our social media. Violet Wine has provided a wonderful partnership, with Olivia’s beautiful wine pairings. And above all, my husband Len not only provides constant support, but takes all of the pictures for this blog.
I thought long and hard about which post should mark the one-year anniversary of this blog. Birthday cake? Ice cream? But it was Len who came up with the perfect answer: the recipe that inspired this blog in the first place.
After more than two years of almost no travel during the onset of COVID, Len and I were thrilled to dust off our passports and head to Spain in May 2022, where we attended the wedding of his cousin Maya. Exploring the gorgeous region of Andalusia was an unforgettable experience.
We started off with a food tour of Málaga, where our knowledgeable “food sherpa” (his term), Javi, introduced us to countless specialties of Spanish cuisine: tinto de verano (red wine on ice with lemon Fanta—the summer drink of choice for Spainards; sangria, we learned, is for teenagers and tourists); croquetas (delicious fried bites with various savory fillings suspended in bechamel sauce), pescaítos (salty, crunchy fried sardines), paella, cured meats, olive oil, local cheeses, and much more.
Unfortunately, Spanish is not a language either of us speak. As we headed north to the small town of Osuna for the wedding, we found ourselves in a local taverna with two glasses (okay, four) of confidently-ordered tinto de verano, a Spanish menu, and nary an English speaker to be found. We had several tasty tapas (some identifiable, some surprises) before the dessert menu appeared.
Among the sweet offerings was something called tocino de cielo. Having some language comprehension, we decided this was “sky bacon,” though a text to a friend back home indicated that “bacon from heaven” was probably the intended translation.
At this point, my husband’s eyes lit up. We don’t eat pork at home, so he relishes the opportunity to enjoy a good pig whenever we’re out (Spanish cuisine turned out to be a good fit for him). Of course, he had to order it, but what arrived was decidedly not… sky bacon. Or bacon in any other form.
Tocino de Cielo—Bacon from Heaven—is actually a 500-year-old Andalusian specialty similar to flan, made with egg yolks, sugar, water, and caramel. The one we had was pleasantly and delicately flavored with oranges (another regional product).
But I couldn’t get the idea of “bacon from heaven” out of my head. I decided then that I was going to start my blog, and it would have a recipe for Bacon from Heaven.
I started working on a recipe the next day. I wanted to try it out as soon as I got home, and the result is a decadent dessert inspired by the flavors of sticky toffee pudding. Medjool dates are filled with a lightly honey-sweetened mixture of soft goat and cream cheeses, wrapped in bacon, and roasted. They are accompanied by a homemade vanilla ice cream flavored brown butter and topped with a warm, buttery, maple-bourbon butter sauce.
I use David Lebovitz’s wonderful recipe for ice cream here, with my own additions and just a few tweaks.
Bacon from Heaven
Ingredients
Brown Butter Ice Cream
- 1 cup (235mL) whole milk
- 1 pinch kosher salt
- ⅔ cup (90g) sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 2 cups (475mL) heavy whipping cream
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 5 tablespoons (65g) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons (40g) dark brown sugar
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- Several gratings fresh nutmeg
Stuffed Dates
- 12 plump Medjool dates, pitted
- 4 ounces (112g) fresh goat cheese
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 ounces (55g) cream cheese, softened
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla
- ½ pound (225g) bacon
Maple-Bourbon Butter Sauce
- 4 tablespoons (50g) butter
- ½ cup (100g) dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons bourbon
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ cup (125mL) heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon maldon or kosher salt
Step by Step Instructions
Brown Butter Ice Cream
Step 1
- Combine the milk, salt, and sugar in a heavy saucepan and warm over medium-low heat. Scrape the contents of the vanilla bean into the milk, and add the pod. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour.
Step 2
- While the milk is steeping, prepare the brown butter. It is easiest to use a stainless steel pan, or a pan with a white bottom, so that you can see the color more easily. Cut the butter into pieces so that it will brown evenly, and add to pan over medium heat. Stir continually with a wooden spoon. After about 5 minutes, the butter will foam and sizzle (be careful, as the butter may splatter).
- Lower the heat to medium low, and add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until combined, and remove from heat.
Step 3
- Pour the cream into a mixing bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk the egg yolks together.
- Strain the milk mixture, discarding any solids. Ladle about ½ cup of the warm milk into a measuring cup. Slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking the yolks constantly to temper the mixture. Then add the tempered mixture into the saucepan with the remainder of the milk.
Step 4
- On medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula, heat the mixture. This must be done gently, or the eggs may cook and curdle your custard. (You are at the correct heat level when the temperature of your custard rises by about 1ºF every 5-10 seconds). When your custard is done, it will coat a spoon, and will register 175º-180ºF (80º-82ºC). Remove from heat right away.
Step 5
- Transfer the mixture to a refrigerator, and chill for 2 hours, or until chilled throughout, before freezing in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Stuffed Dates
- Preheat oven to 425ºF (220ºC).
- Add goat cheese, cream cheese, honey, and vanilla to a mixing bowl, and beat until light and well-mixed.
- Slice the bacon in half, so that you have many long strips. Stuff the dates with the cheese mixture, and wrap each with one thin strip of bacon.
- Place the dates on a wire rack over a foil-lined sheet pan, and roast until the bacon is fully cooked, 15-20 minutes.
Maple-Bourbon Butter Sauce
Step 1
- In a small, heavy saucepan, add the butter and brown sugar. Heat over medium until bubbling gently.
Step 2
- Add the bourbon and maple, and stir until incorporated. Slowly add the cream, and heat through until warm and thick. Keep warm.
To Serve:
- Transfer 4 coupe glasses to a freezer to chill for at least 15 minutes.
- Once chilled, fill each coupe with a generous scoop of ice cream. Add 3 bacon-wrapped dates, and pour warm sauce over each serving. Serve immediately.
Beverage Pairing
By: Olivia
Winemakers can use egg white to clarify their wine, meaning that wineries can have a lot of unused yolks. As legend has it, Tocino de Cielo came into being in the 14th century when nuns at a Spanish convent took the leftovers and made a delicious dessert. Whether or not that story is true, it only feels right to honor the Andalusia region by suggesting a wine from the region. Sherry is a fortified wine made from white grapes. If a fortified wine scares you, fear not! Violet Wine has dessert wine lovers, so they can assist you in this exploration. For this Bacon from Heaven, consider Valdespino Amontillado Contrabandista, a complex sherry with nuttiness and a touch of sweetness.
