Bacon-and-Egg Ice Cream: Diary of a Foodie : gourmet.com

Diary of a Foodie

Makes1 Quart

January 2007

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Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Arrange bacon slices in 1 layer (not overlapping) on rack of a large broiler pan. Bake 15 minutes. Turn slices over and sprinkle evenly with brown sugar. Continue to bake, checking bacon every 5 minutes, until bacon is crisp and deep golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to parchment or brown paper (such as a grocery bag or butcher paper; see cooks' note, below) to drain.
Heat milk, cream, granulated sugar, and salt in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is hot.
Meanwhile, beat yolks in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until thick and pale. Reduce speed to low and add hot milk mixture in a stream, mixing until combined. Transfer custard to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat back of a spoon and thermometer registers 170 to 175°F (do not let boil). Stir in vanilla.
Quick-chill custard by transferring it to a bowl set into a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stirring frequently until cold, about 15 minutes. Freeze custard in ice cream maker until almost firm. Meanwhile, cut bacon into 1/4-inch pieces.
Fold bacon into ice cream, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, at least 2 hours.

Cooks' notes: Ice cream keeps 1 week. Don't be tempted to transfer bacon to paper towels to drain—the sugar will make the bacon stick to them.

Photograph by Romulo Yanes