The Savory Topping You Need To Start Putting On Ice Cream Sundaes

Ice cream sundaes can be more than just a fun dessert: You can make them into an activity and full-fledged experience with a well-thought-out bar of toppings. From cookie crumbs to fruit syrups to candied nuts, there are tons of sweet options to sprinkle on. But have you ever considered adding savory toppings like bacon to your sundaes?

You might cringe at the idea of adding pieces of salted pork to your ice cream, but there's a reason why unexpected food combinations like sweet and salty work so well. In the third chapter of "Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake in the United States," it's concluded that enhancing sweetness is just one of the effects that salt has when we eat various foods. It improves flavor intensity as well. Also, according to research published in 2011 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, your tongue has sugar receptors called SGLT1 that only react when you eat salt, which may explain why salt enhances sweet ingredients.

With the backing of science, it makes sense why mixing salt into homemade ice cream benefits the flavor, while adding a savory topping like candied bacon is one of the best ways to upgrade your ice cream sundae. The savory and salty elements are a dynamic complement to the sugary sweetness of the frozen dessert. You may find it hard not to eat the topping on other sweet dishes, too, such as pancakes and waffles.

It's easy to make your own candied bacon at home with just a few ingredients and tips. To make candied bacon on the grill, you should use a thick cut of pork, and either hickory or apple-smoked flavor profiles work well. The honey in the recipe will act as a binder for the brown sugar and chipotle powder, the latter of which is optional to add a smoky note. You can put a foil-lined baking sheet underneath the elevated grill rack of bacon to catch the fat, honey, brown sugar, and chipotle powder that drips down as you baste and season. This will make cleanup easier and faster.

On the other hand, you can make candied bacon in the oven. American chef and cookbook author Alex Guarnaschelli, known for her appearances on multiple Food Network shows, recommends adding a layer of foil or parchment paper and another baking pan on top of the bacon to keep the strips of pork flat while they cook. If the bacon isn't fairly crispy after the first 20 minutes, Guarnaschelli bakes it for another 10 to 15 minutes. She notes, however, that you don't want to leave it in the oven for too long because it will crisp up some as it cools on another plate.

Aside from candied bacon, there are many more toppings you wouldn't think to put on ice cream. The combination of potato chips and ice cream, for example, doesn't always come to mind. However, the chip brand Ruffles offers its own recommendation for creating spicy and crunchy ice cream with its chips and garlic chili crisp. To customize your sundaes with your preferred flavor profile, though, make homemade potato chips and explore the wide and varied world of chili crisps.

You can live on the wilder side by adding caramelized onions to your ice cream. The National Onion Association worked with Chef Aran Essig to develop a caramelized onion brandy ice cream with the ingredients blended into the frozen dessert. Instead, you could take an easier route by topping a boozy ice cream of your choice with a bit of caramelized onions.

Also, while leftover tempura batter can be transformed into a sweet ice cream topping, you can use it for a tempura fried okra topping on ranch-flavored ice cream. Chef Vivian Howard was featured on Season 3 of "A Chef's Life" making tempura fried okra to pair with ranch ice cream. She recommends serving the okra hot and salty alongside the softened frozen dessert.