Candied Bacon Ice Cream

Total Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 5 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons salted butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 2 3/4 cups half-and-half
• 5 large egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons dark rum or 2 teaspoons whiskey
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Recipe

• 1 to candy the bacon, preheat the oven to 400f (200c).
• 2 lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil, shiny side down.
• 3 sprinkle 1½-2 teaspoons of brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon, depending on length.
• 4 bake for 12-16 minutes.
• 5 midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that's collected on the baking sheet.
• 6 continue to bake until as dark as mahogany.
• 7 remove from oven and cool the strips on a wire rack.
• 8 once crisp and cool, chop into little pieces, about the size of grains of rice.
• 9 (bacon bits can be stored in an airtight container and chilled for a day or so, or stored in the freezer a few weeks ahead.).
• 10 to make the ice cream custard, melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan.
• 11 stir in the brown sugar and half of the half-and-half.
• 12 pour the remaining half-and-half into a bowl set in an ice bath and set a mesh strainer over the top.
• 13 in a separate bowl, stir together the egg yolks, then gradually add some of the warm brown sugar mixture to them, whisking the yolks constantly as you pour.
• 14 pour the mixture back into the saucepan.
• 15 cook over low to moderate heat, constantly stirring and scraping the bottom with a heatproof spatula, until the custard thickens enough to coat the spatula.
• 16 strain the custard into the half-and-half, stirring over the ice bath, until cool.
• 17 add liquor, vanilla and cinnamon, if using.
• 18 refrigerate the mixture.
• 19 once thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.
• 20 add the bacon bits during the last moment of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine.