Maple Bacon Crunch Ice Cream

What you need:

For the ice cream:

• 3 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup good-quality maple syrup
• 2 cups heavy cream

For the bacon brittle:

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 to 4 slices thick cut smoked bacon, cooked and crumbled
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp. baking soda

Directions:

1. For the ice cream: Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and salt in a bowl until pale yellow.
2. Pour into a saucepan and whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat and stir until it's almost simmer and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
3. Stir in the maple syrup.
4. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate about 30 minutes or until cold. Make brittle while egg yolk mixture is cooling.
5. For the brittle: Prepare a cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray or a silicone baking mat.
6. In a heavy saucepan, add sugar, corn syrup, honey, salt, and water to a boil over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved.
7. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees.
8. Remove heat and immediately add butter and baking soda (it should start to foam and grow).
9. Pour onto the cookie sheet and allow to settle on its own. Immediately sprinkle crumbled bacon over the top of the brittle.
10. Let cool and harden. Once hardened, break into pieces.
11. After the egg yolk mixture has cooled, stir the heavy cream into it.
12. Then churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions.
13. Break a third of the bacon brittle with a meat mallet. Then stir into the processed ice cream.
14. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for at least 2 hours until firm.

Bacon Brittle Recipe adapted from Basic Brittle Recipe from AllRecipes

Ice Cream Recipe from Food Network Magazine, July/August 2012