tab˙ol˙o˙gy: Maple Bacon Ice Cream

OK, So we may have missed International Bacon day......

But we hit the mark with our first, very own homemade ice cream - MAPLE BACON !!

Yes, you read correctly! Maple Bacon Ice Cream.

Hubby says this is possibly the best thing he has EVER eaten! Gotta love that!

It was a little complicated with all the steps involved, but I must say - it is tasty!!

Anywhere you can possibly work in bacon & eggs is welcome in my book! (says the former Vegan gone mad *mmwwhhahahaha* :)

I bathed the bacon Canadian Maple syrup we got when we were in Montreal this summer...YUM-O

This was a real treat and not SUPER difficult....just a little tedious. I adapted a recipe from a great ice cream blogger & Food Network's version and tweaked it just a bit

Maple Bacon Ice Cream

Ingredients

2 cups grade B maple syrup
4 cups half-and-half
1 cup granulated sugar
5 egg yolks
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon (about 6 slices)
Special equipment: candy thermometer, ice cream maker

Directions

In a medium saucepan over moderate heat, reduce the maple syrup to 1 cup. Set aside.

Over moderate heat in a medium saucepan, heat the half-and-half with 1/2 cup sugar until hot and just bubbling around the edges.
In a medium bowl, whisk the yolks with 1/2 cup sugar, then add 1 cup hot half-and-half mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour the whole egg mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture coats the back of the spoon and registers 170 degrees F on a thermometer. Do not let boil. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl and whisk in the maple syrup. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap allowing it to touch the surface of the mixture, to prevent a skin from forming. Chill the mixture until very cold, at least 8 hours or preferably overnight.
(That was the hard part, you just wanna eat it already - but we learned the hard way it must be EXTREMELY COLD in order for it to cream properly)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Line a rimmed sheet pan with heavy foil. Place a baking rack over the lined sheet pan and arrange the bacon slices across the rack next to each other. Bake until crispy, about 15 minutes.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside. Place the remaining maple syrup in the saucepan and simmer until warm. Add the bacon and stir to coat. Pour onto prepared baking sheet and let it cool and harden. Chop the candied bacon into small pieces.

Freeze the custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions, 20 to 30 minutes and at the last minute, add the candied bacon and let churn until just combined. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze.