recipe: Caramelized Bacon Ice Cream

 Summer has finally arrived. Time to dust off the ice cream maker and start experimenting making my favorite tasty treat.

Creamy, smoky, sweet, and a touch of salty. If you love bacon – you must try this indulgent treat.

Ingredients

• 3 cups half and half
• 6 large egg yolks (if you use JUMBO eggs cut this to 5)
• 2T butter
• 3/4 cups light brown sugar (plus more for the bacon)
• 1t vanilla extract
• 6 slices thick, good quality bacon

Place 1.5 cups of half and half into a bowl placed on an ice water bath.  In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks and set aside.

Combine the butter and brown sugar in a medium saucepan placed over medium heat. Cook until the butter melts, then add in the remaining half and half. Once warm, temper the egg yolks and add to the saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Take care to do this slowly over medium/medium low heat. You do not want to curdle the eggs.

Once thickened, strain the mixture and pour into the cream set over the ice water bath. Add vanilla and stir to cool. Refrigerate to cool completely. While the ice cream base cools, prepare the tasty caramelized bacon bits.

Lay the bacon onto a rack over a backing sheet. Spread enough brown sugar on each slice to coat.

Bake in a 400 oven for about 10 min. Turn over, sprinkle with a light coating brown sugar and return to the oven for 2-4 minutes. Remove from oven when crisp. Keep in mind that the bacon will continue to crisp slightly when removed from the oven. Times are approx. as each bacon slice is different. Let cool and chop into bacon bits.

Churn the ice cream according to your machine instructions adding the bacon at the last moments.

Please note:This was created as part of the Denny’s and/or Foodbuzz BACONALIA challenge and is an entry for a chance to win.

Tagged as: bacon, caramel, dessert, ice cream, recipe