Bacon from Heaven: My Take on Spain’s Tocino de Cielo

About this Recipe

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By: Rachel

I thought long and hard about which post should mark the one-year anniversary of this blog. Birthday cake? Ice cream? But it was my husband who came up with the perfect answer. The recipe that inspired this blog in the first place—Bacon from Heaven (Tocino de Cielo), a delicious dessert that evokes the flavors of sticky toffee pudding.

Choosing the Perfect Recipe to Celebrate

This week marks the first 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. 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. He not only provides constant support, but also takes all of the pictures for this blog.

As we celebrate this milestone, it feels only fitting to revisit the bacon from heaven recipe that inspired the very beginning of The Eating Emporium.

Discovering Bacon from Heaven (Tocino de Cielo) in My Trip to Andalusia

After more than two years of almost no travel during the onset of COVID, Len and I were thrilled to dust off our passports. We 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. 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), piquillo peppers stuffed with goat cheese, paella, cured meats, olive oil, local cheeses, and much more. 

From “Sky Bacon” to Bacon from Heaven

Unfortunately, Spanish is not a language either of us speaks. 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.” However, 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—though it did spark the idea for what would later become my own bacon from heaven recipe.

What Is Tocino de Cielo?

Tocino de Cielo—Bacon from Heaven—is actually a 500-year-old Andalusian specialty. It’s 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). 

I couldn’t get the idea of “bacon from heaven” out of my head. I decided then that if I were going to start my blog, it would have a Bacon from Heaven recipe.

Creating My Own Bacon from Heaven Recipe

I started working on a recipe the next day. I wanted to try it out as soon as I got home. 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 with 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.

When to Serve Bacon from Heaven

This bacon from heaven recipe makes a rich, indulgent finale. So it’s best saved for when you really want to end a meal on a high note. Try serving it after this salmon recipe called Hot Honey Cedar Plank Salmon. Its smoky-sweet glazed salmon sets up the dessert perfectly. The flavors sort of echo each other, but in a completely different way.

Bacon from Heaven

Bacon from Heaven features the sweet, buttery flavors of sticky toffee pudding. Plump Medjool dates are stuffed with a sweet filling, wrapped in bacon, and served with brown butter ice cream topped with a warm maple-bourbon sauce.

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Meal Type Sweets

Yield 4 servings

Equipment

• Chef's Knife
• Cutting board
• Medium Heavy Saucepan
• Ice Cream Maker
• Coupe Glasses
• Kitchen scale or measuring cups and spoons
• Measuring cups and spoons or kitchen scale

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Brown Butter Ice Cream

• 1 cup (235mL) whole milk
• 1 pinch kosher salt
• ⅔ cup (90g) sugar
• 1 whole vanilla bean split lengthwise
• 2 cups (475mL) heavy whipping cream
• 5 large egg yolks
• 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) softened cream cheese
• ¼ teaspoon vanilla
• ½ pound (225g) bacon

Maple-Bourbon Butter Sauce

• 4 tablespoons (50g) unsalted butter
• ½ cup (100g) dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• ½ cup (125mL) heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon Maldon salt 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 20 minutes.
  

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 into the cream, discarding any solids, including the vanilla pod.

  Ladle about ½ cup of the warm milk mixture into a measuring cup. Slowly drizzle it into the egg yolks, whisking the yolks constantly to temper the mixture. Then add the tempered mixture back into the saucepan with the remainder of the milk/cream mixture.
  

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.

  When your custard is done, it will thicken and coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat immediately, and strain into a bowl using a fine-mesh sieve.

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.