Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/640308
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 14 FEBRUARY 2016 35 Fine food of the week THOUGH no breakfast is com- plete without a few rashers of the salty stuff, bacon has been making its way into unlikely combinations in recipes such as bacon ice-cream, chocolate cov- ered bacon, vodka infused with bacon, bacon cookies and cup- cakes. The cross over from the US to Europe has mainly been attrib- uted to the Internet, with new recipes enticing interest in the form of food blogs, as well as so- cial networking sites. The reasons for which bacon is so addictive is that it is said to contain six ingredient types of umami, which elicits an addic- tive neurochemical response. The chain lards on bacon give the food a high flavour profile that creates a one-of-a-kind flavour that is not easily sub- stitutable, which has led to the popular belief among chefs that if in doubt, cover in bacon and sprinkle with cheese. As well as its flavour, bacon is not entirely good for you. 68% of its calories come from fat, almost half of which is saturated. Just one strip of bacon can contain up to 3.5g of fat. It is also high in sodium (150mg in just one medium sized strip) and high in cholesterol (10mg per slice). In today's health conscious world, rather than put people off, the consumption of bacon is on the rise. Bacon has a rebellious streak, making people more in- clined to want it as a reward for a hard week's work out. A rasher of bacon is a rasher of bacon. Wrong! Bacon is simply cured meat that comes from the pig and depending from where the bacon is cut and the method of processing can have very dif- ferent flavours. Bacon is cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing. Bacon may be sold fresh – commonly known as green bacon, however in Malta we commonly find ba- con that has been further dried, boiled or smoked. Bacon is usually made from the side or back cuts of the pork or from the pork belly for streaky bacon. Streaky bacon comes from the pork belly with long layers of fat running parallel to the rind. The fat content allows for better crisping and is the most popular bacon sold in the USA. Pancetta, Italian streaky bacon, is also from the pork belly and is generally sold in cubes and un- smoked. Back bacon comes from the loin in the middle of the back of the pig and by comparison to streaky bacon is very lean and meaty. This cut of bacon is the most popular cut sold in the UK. Middle bacon is from the side of the animal and has a flavour and texture in between that of streaky and back bacon. Collar bacon comes from be- hind the head of the pig. When buying bacon, you should pay attention to the dif- ference between regular bacon and nitrite-free bacon. Some studies have concluded that too much of the preservative sodium nitrite found in bacon can lead to pulmonary disease. Nitrite- free bacon is available in most supermarkets, but is often high- er in salt and saturated fat and is, according to some bacon pur- ists, lacking in flavour. Bacon makes it better Food Recipe of the week By Steve Mamo Serves 2 Ingredients • 2 bananas • 400g sugar • 1 vanilla pod • 50ml spiced rum • 50g butter • Sheet puff pastry Bacon ice-cream • 500ml double cream • 3 egg yolks • 70g sugar • 2 vanilla beans • 100g pancetta • 2 tbsp maple syrup • 1 tbsp peanut butter Method 1. Place the sugar in a pan over low heat until it starts to caramelise then add the split vanilla bean. 2. Add the rum and butter and set aside. 3. Slice the bananas approx 2cm thick and toss them in the hot caramel. 4. Place in a tart mould and pour over the remaining car- amel. 5. Cover with puff pastry and bake at 200°C until golden, then flip out of the mould. 6. To make the bacon ice-cream place the bacon in a pan over low heat and render the fat. Cook till crispy. 7. Add the maple syrup and set aside. 8. Place the double cream, va- nilla pod in a pot and bring to a simmer, then set aside. 9. In a separate bowl whisk the egg yolks and sugar, then add the hot cream while whisk- ing. 10. Allow to cool then add the bacon and peanut butter and place in an ice-cream ma- chine and follow the manu- facturer's instructions. 11. Serve the hot tarte tatin with a scoop of bacon and peanut butter ice-cream. Banana tarte tatin with bacon and peanut butter ice-cream Though bacon is mostly associated with fried breakfast it is being used in increasingly innovative recipes such as this bacon martini Bacon is cured in salt and comes from different cuts of the pig