Ingredients:
- 16 oz of semi-sweet chocolate
- 4 cups of mini marshmallows
- ¼ cup whiskey
- 1 cup caramel (recipe follows)
- 1 cup of spiced bacon crumble (recipe follows)
Instructions:
1. Place chocolate in a bain marie or in a heat-proof bowl above
simmering water. Heat on low until chocolate is melted. Pour half of
melted chocolate into parchement-lined pan. Then using an offset
spatula, spread chocolate until smooth. Transfer pan to freezer to chill
for about 5 minutes or until melted chocolate becomes solid.
2. Place marshmallows in a large saucepan and heat until marshmallows
starts to just melt and forms web-like strands when stirred. (See
picture). Remove from heat and add in 5 tablespoons of whiskey; stir to
combine. Spread marshmallow mixture over solid chocolate layer. (To
easily spread the marshmallow to an even layer, spray offset spatula
with non-stick spray.)
3. Pour caramel on top of marshmallow layer. Then, using an offset
spatula, spread caramel until smooth. Transfer pan to freezer to chill
for about 5 minutes or until caramel becomes slightly hardened. Pour
remaining half of chocolate over caramel layer and, using an offset
spatula, spread chocolate until smooth. Sprinkle and gently press bacon
crumble into chocolate, Return fully assembled bark to refrigerator to
chill for 20 minutes or until bark becomes solid. Bring bark to almost
room temperature before cutting.
Bacon Crumble
- 16 oz bacon
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoon water
- 1 egg white
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1. Cook bacon and set aside to cool completely. Once cooled, coarsely
crumble bacon with hand; set aside and heat oven to 300 degrees F.
2. Place sugar and water in a pot and heat until sugar is dissolved.
Toss crumbled bacon in sugar syrup to coat. Pass coated bacon through a
strainer to drain excess sugar syrup.
2. Add egg white to a bowl and beat until fluffy and foamy. Add in black
pepper and cayenne. Whisk to combine. Add in crumbled bacon and toss to
coat.
3. Spread coated, crumbled bacon on a parchment lined bakesheet and bake
for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool, then crumble bacon one
last time.
Caramel Filling:
- 1 cup sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 7 tablespoon heavy cream
Instructions:
Add sugar and water into a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir until
sugar has dissolved. Use a wet brush to remove any crystals that form on
the side. Once sugar has dissolved increase heat to high. Now and then,
using the handle, give the pot a swirl to keep the mixture moving. Do
not stir the mixture directly. The mixture will start to bubble after a
minute. As the mixture darkens to a medium amber color, approximately
5-7 minutes, add the butter and heavy cream to saucepan. The mixture
will bubble wildly. Whisk to combine (bubbles will subside upon
cooling). Set aside to cool completely.
Notes:
- If you are gifting this, best to keep it whole and let the recipient
dive in and cut it as they go. But if you decide to cut it up and box
it, make sure to place a sheet of parchment between each layer.
- Bark can be kept at rooom temperature for up to two days.
- You may have more caramel then you need, so keep the leftover in a jar to use in or on another dessert.
- To keep a nice sharp edge while cutting the bark: (1) Use a really
sharp knife and press the blade’s tip into the bark and then bring the
remainder of the blade down into the bark. Depending on the kind of
knife you use, most blades are shaped at an angle, so don’t bring the
knife down in one push, the uneven pressure will crack the bark. (2)
After the bark has set in the refrigerator bring it to room temperature
before cutting. This will soften the chocolate and make for easy
cutting. If the bark starts to split or start to chip off as you cut,
the bark is still too cold to cut.