Candied Bacon Ice Cream

I'm not sure it's possible to top the Key Lime Pice Cream, but I can't let that stop me from making any other type of ice cream for the rest of my life. So, I found a unique recipe from David Lebovitz for Candied Bacon Ice Cream that I modified to use the last of my heavy cream.

Candied Bacon Ice Cream
Custard
3 Tbsp. salted butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups milk
5 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tsp. dark rum or whiskey
1/4 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
Candied Bacon
5 strips bacon
2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar

To make the ice cream custard, melt the butter in a heavy, medium-size saucepan. Stir in the brown sugar and milk.

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. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. 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.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl set in an ice bath, and set a mesh strainer over the top.Strain the custard into the cream, stirring over the ice bath, until cool. Add liquor, vanilla and cinnamon. Refrigerate the mixture overnight.

To candy the bacon, preheat the oven to 400°F. Lay the strips of bacon on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or aluminum foil, shiny side down. Sprinkle 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar evenly over each strip of bacon, depending on length. Bake for 12 to 16 minutes. Midway during baking, flip the bacon strips over and drag them through the dark, syrupy liquid that’s collected on the baking sheet. Continue to bake until as dark as mahogany. Remove from oven, and cool the strips on a wire rack. Once crisp and cool, chop into little pieces, about the size of grains of rice. 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.

Once thoroughly chilled, freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Add the bacon bits during the last moment of churning, or stir them in when you remove the ice cream from the machine.Makes about 3/4 quart of deliciousness.