Maple Bacon

At some point during the great Ice Cream Adventure I mentioned to the Chief Taste Tester that I was considering making maple bacon ice cream. Being the good midwestern gal that she is, she's never met a pork product she didn't like, and immediately upon mention of this creation there was nothing else that could satisfy her.

There are lots of recipes out there, but in the end I decided on something from The Ice Cream Fellow, who made an award-winning version. I probably could have figured this one out on my own, but in an attempt to make it less icy I thought I'd follow someone else's good example. Of course, I didn't have exactly everything, so it's a little different, but I think I have added enough butterfat to make it work.

2c heavy cream (called for 2.5 c)
1c half-and-half (called for none)
1.25c 2% milk (called for 1.75c whole milk)
1.5c maple syrup, reduced to 0.75c
6 egg yolks
pinch of salt (called for 0.25tsp, but I've learned my sea-salt lesson)

Next day*: I took 5 strips of bacon, sprinkled them with brown sugar, and put in a 400 degree oven, turning a couple of times, until they were dark (David Lebovitz says they should be 'mahogany colored'), then let them cool until they were hard before chopping into small pieces. Then I took the custard from last night and froze it. When it was done, I put the bacon bits in and put it in the freezer for tomorrow.

I also served the dregs scooped from the ice cream maker to the Chief Taste Tester, who declared it "insane." Insanely good, I think that means.

*You know you live an exciting life when your Friday evening involves making ice cream. Whatever, I'm happy.