Candied Bacon, Truffled Eda Mame & The Notebook: You Know You Want It

I have really come to love having friends over, busting open some wine and cooking something frivolous. On the docket this last Saturday? Chocolate pudding with candied bacon and truffled eda mame.

I had inspiration in triplicate this weekend. The eda mame was inspired by a visit to The Open Door in Monterey Park last week. Their truffled eda mame were made with truffle butter. I wanted to make something as tasty but healthier. The second inspiration was the Supper Club at Rosso, where Michael Ruiz served Valrhona chocolate pudding with candied bacon. Third was my awesome guests, our Kogi quest and the need for snacks before and desert afters.

I found an easy recipe for candied bacon here: http://splatgirlcreates.blogspot.com/2007/03/bacon-moment.html. Essentially, you cover the entire package of bacon in light brown sugar and bake at 450 for about 15 minutes.


During the cooking process I had The Notebook on the telly. Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are so easy on the eyes...the both of them.

Slipping the sugar covered goodness into the hot oven.

The sugar bubbles up as the fat and granules mix together and smell up your entire house.

Be sure to watch the bacon carefully.

I pulled mine out of the oven just in time, narrowly averting a burned bacon disaster.

After the bacon cooled, I chopped it into hearty sweet and chewy chunks.

And I topped ramekins of fat-free/sugar-free chocolate pudding with the bacony goodness.

I definitely took a pudding short cut. I could have made pudding from scratch, but I am lazy and instant pudding is so fast and easy. I also had a really long day, starting with tennis in Lakewood at 9 am, a nap, and then cooking and cleaning afterward. Girlfriend needs a shortcut. I figure the fat-free/sugar-free part of the pudding canceled out the fat-intensive/sugar-intensive characteristics of the bacon. After eating, you come out even.

I love this scene. Every time I watch this movie, this scene moves me.

Onto the eda mame. Who knew I would ever cook enough that I would need (I and anyone else cooking frequently in this day and age) more than one kind of salt. The Fusion Black Truffle Salt was a gift from K. The ingredients read "sea salt, black truffle", not truffle essence, truffle fragrance, etc. Black truffle. I think this is real truffle salt. It is amazing.


I bought some frozen pre-cooked eda mame and defrosted them in some warm water.

I drained and tossed half with fleur de sel and half with the truffle salt. The truffle salt gave the eda mame a really similar flavor to the soy beans I ate at The Open Door last week, without the butter. These made a perfect snack for everyone before we headed out across town in search of Korean BBQ tacos. Succeed!