Maple Bacon Ice Cream

One of my friends was coming over to hang out a couple of nights ago and texted me saying he wanted Maple Bacon Ice Cream when he arrived. I had some bacon in the fridge and decided I could accommodate his request.
Afterwards, he claimed it was "the best ice cream he had ever eaten in his life"... not to pat myself of the back too much but it was really good. I am a cheater though because it is pretty easy to make things delicious by adding bacon, even if it is ice cream.
I am very happy how simple it is to come up with original recipes for ice cream. This ice cream went from "dream text" to our bellies in about three hours. It is weird how good the cool sweet ice cream is with the smokey bacon flavor. It reaches the primal nub in your brain that loves bacon and is connected to your eyes, mouth, and stomach forcing you to keep eating it and invariably snagging a couple extra scoops.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of whipping cream
• 3/4 cup sugar (you could probably drop this to 1/2 cup)
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 5-7 strips of bacon (candied)

Directions:

1. Fry the bacon in a frying pan on medium heat to render as much of the fat out as you can.
2. When it is nearing the crispy end of the spectrum coat the strips in 1 tbsp of maple syrup.
3. Continue to fry for a minute or two or until the syrup has thickened.
4. Set the bacon aside on a plate to cool (don't drain it on paper towel or the syrup will stick to it).
5. In a small sauce pan add 1 cup cream, the sugar, salt, vanilla and remaining syrup.
6. Heat until the sugar has dissolved.
7. Remove from the heat and mix it together with the other 2 cups of cream.
8. Chill in the fridge or freezer for a couple hours.
9. Once the bacon has cooled it will be hard and brittle.
10. Chop the bacon into small pieces.
11. Mix the cream in an ice cream maker.
12. When the ice cream is a desired consistency add the bacon.
13. Serve with additional maple syrup.