L.A. sweets trend: Bacon desserts

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Bacon. You can almost smell it. And while we know it's a great breakfast food, using it in dessert is the latest L.A. trend.

"My mom's favorite sandwich was peanut butter and bacon and so I'm the type of person who dips bacon in everything," said Brooke Mosley, chef of Viceroy Hotel's Whist restaurant.

Five different chefs at five different restaurants all have the same thought on pigging out.

"Bacon adds a little smoky savory to your desserts you know and I think smoky and sweet blends really nicely with a little salt," said Debbie Lee of GyEnari.

Lee developed a spicy chocolate creme brulee with bacon shortbread, while Mosley created the Elvis cupcake.

"It's a banana cupcake; it's filled with banana curd, peanut butter frosting, and I made the peanut butter myself, and candy bacon sprinkles," described Mosley.

"Peanut butter and bacon, that is fun and playful, it made me feel like a kid again," said Stacey Quackenbush, a taster.

Downtown at the Nickel Diner, chef Sharlena Fong makes glazed donuts rolled in bacon for the morning coffee crowd and on weekends they give away the donut holes for free.

Over at Animal on Fairfax, chef and owner Jon Shook explains their signature bacon chocolate crunch bar with layers of hazelnut, dark chocolate, peanut ganache, chocolate mousse and a torched top layer of bacon.

While Sona's Ramon Perez created caramelized white chocolate with a coffee sheet, bacon powder, bacon vinaigrette and a coffee soil topped with foie gras ice cream. Who knew bacon could be so sophisticated?

Apparently, this trend started back in 2005 when a gastronomist from the U.K. whipped up some bacon and egg ice cream. Now, chefs and confectioners alike think it is a positive point to put pork in pastry.

"It's about blending different textures, different flavors and having everything melt together, sort of work in harmony," said Lee.

The trend is an apparent hit with diners.

"You think in theory, it doesn't sound good, but in practice when you know you like all these different ingredients and then you put them all together, it's just, you know, a gastronomic delight," said diner Irving Simons.

Where to find bacon desserts:

Sona Restaurant
401 North La Cienega Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(310) 659-7708
Caramelized white chocolate coffee bacon dessert, $12 for two

Nickel Diner
524 S. Main St.
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 623-8301
Glazed donut rolled in crispy bacon, $2.25
Donut holes free on weekend mornings

Gyenari Korean BBQ and Lounge
9540 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 902323
(310) 838-3131
Spicy Chocolate creme brulee, house-made bacon shortbread, $9

Animal Restaurant
435 N. Fairfax Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
(323) 782-9225
Bacon chocolate crunch bar, $7

Viceroy Santa Monica
1819 Ocean Ave.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 260-7500
The Elvis cupcake, $8

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