Bacon Maple Bourbon Ice Cream
- For the bacon:
- 6 strips bacon
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- Approximately one to two tablespoons Aleppo Pepper, a mild, smoky pepper frequently used in the Middle East. (You can order from Amazon; I get it in half pound bags from Penzey’s Spices, and use it in practically everything).
- For the base:
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 2 cups light cream
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grade maple syrup
- 2 tsp. bourbon
- Prepare the base: in a saucepan, scald the heavy cream with the bourbon (bring it just to a boil, and then turn off the heat.) In a stand mixer, beat together egg yolks and brown sugar. While the machine is still running, slowly pour in the scalded cream. Put the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until it coats the back of a spoon. Whisk in the light cream, the bourbon, and the maple syrup. Refrigerate for at least four hours, and preferably overnight.
- Prepare the bacon: preheat oven to 400 F. Line a baking pan with greased foil or preferably a silicon liner. (The bacon is going to stick when we cook it. Sprinkle generously with brown sugar and aleppo pepper. Cook for eight minutes, then take the pan out of the oven, flip the bacon, sprinkle the other side with sugar and Aleppo pepper, and then cook for another eight minutes. Cool while you start freezing the base.
- Freeze the base according to manufacturer’s instructions. About five minutes before the end, chop up the bacon into small pieces and add to the freezer. Freeze solid and serve with melon or in lettuce cups.
