B acon fat has a unique, rounded, umami-rich flavor that works well in both sweet and savory dishes. Therefore, it ♠ is always a good idea to save any leftover bacon fat after cooking. Be sure to scrape the bottom of ♠ the pan to get all those flavorful, caramelized bacony bits. Bacon fat can make almost any dish more delicious and ♠ enhance its flavor. Use it for sautéing potatoes, frying chicken or, if you want to elevate your dessert game, making ♠ today's bacon fat salted caramel.

Bacon fat salted caramel

This recipe is alchemical, mood-enhancing, and furiously tasty. It transforms those ♠ icky bits of gooey, caramelized bacon fat stuck to the bottom of the frying pan into a luxuriant and thought-provoking ♠ dessert. If you want to add further depth of flavor, use smoked bacon (smoked sea salt would also work).

Serves 2-4

2-3 tbsp ♠ bacon fat (or a mix of bacon fat and butter)
50g brown sugar
80ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Melt the bacon fat in ♠ a wide pan on a medium heat. Stir in the sugar, cream, and vanilla, if using, bring to a boil, ♠ then cook, stirring occasionally, until the caramel starts to thicken.

Serve hot just as it is, poured over popcorn, pancakes or ♠ ice-cream, or decant into a jar or container and leave to cool. Seal and store in the fridge for up ♠ to three weeks or the freezer for a few months. Bring back to room temperature before using; and if it ♠ crystallizes, simply bring to a boil.