Litchi Bacon

Working on recipes is always an interesting process. The idea was litchi bacon. We had beautiful,  fresh fruit to work with and we wanted to pair it with those smoky, meaty flavors without overwhelming the delicate nature of the litchi. We tossed the peeled fruit, still attached to the seed,  with a blend of smoked soy sauce, rose water water, smoked balsamic, muscovado sugar and a touch of cayenne. This was vacuum sealed and cured for twelve hours. The results were unique in that we had this very ethereal floral fruit flavor that had married with a bit of smoke, spice, acid, and umami without losing it's own personality. Instead the additional flavors underlined the litchis subtle complexity and allowed the fruit to shine.