XXXXVIII: Bacon Ice Cream

I just saw this on the picturingfood community of livejournal. Had to copy it down so I can make it sometime when I'm feeling really decadent (read: fat).

12 slices maple cured bacon
1 qt. vitamin D milk
1 qt. heavy cream
5 oz. granulated sugar
3 oz. maple syrup
8 egg yolks


Preheat the oven to 350°. Cut 10 of the bacon slices into 1 inch strips and leave two slices whole. Place the bacon on a baking sheet lined with parchment and roast for 10 minutes, or until some of the fat has rendered out, but it is still soft. In a large sauce pot combine the milk and heavy cream and heat on medium. Add the cut bacon and place the remaining two slices back in the oven for 5 more minutes until they are brown and crispy. Let the bacon and dairy heat while you prepare the yolks and sugar. Add the sugar and maple syrup to the egg yolks and whip with a whisk or a mixer on high speed until the mix becomes lighter in color and slightly frothy.

Bring the milk, cream, and bacon mixture to a boil, then remove from the heat and transfer to a blender. Blend on high for 30 seconds and pass the mix through a fine mesh strainer to remove any bacon particles. Discard the ground bacon. Add the dairy mix back to the sauce pot and turn the flame to medium low. Temper the egg yolks by adding two ladels of the hot milk and cream to the whipped yolks and whisking vigorously. Add this mixture to the sauce pot and stir with a wooden spoon. Stir carefully for 5-10 minutes or until the mixture thickens and can coat a spoon. Remove from the heat and strain the mix (in case there are any bits of curdled egg). Chill the bacon ice cream mix in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

When you’re ready to make the ice cream, simply follow the directions on your ice cream maker. When the ice cream begins to thicken, but before it’s ready to be transferred to a container and frozen further, about 15 minutes in the machine, chop the two remaining bacon slices into bits and add to the ice cream. It seems so wrong but so right at the same time. Transfer the ice cream to a pre-frozen container and freeze for 2 hours. Serve with a drizzling of maple syrup and more bacon bits, in case there’s just not enough bacon here for you.