Bacon Ice Cream

I'm working on an appetizer to pair with a high-end bourbon and I want to tinker with a classic...bacon wrapped scallops.  In brainstorming ways to give a scallop dish enough body and character to stand up to a full bodied bourbon I began to toy with the idea of a "savory" ice cream, in fact something that I've wanted to mess with for years...Bacon Ice Cream. 

Day 1 (the base):

first I infused my milk and cream mixture with apple wood bacon and spices. 

I have to be careful with my "cream" mixture and used more milk than cream, as I must control the

fat content carefully considering the fat content of the primary flavoring ingredient, bacon. 

   Ingredients for Bacon Ice Cream:

 bacon & spice infused cream, egg yolks, granulated sugar & ice cream stabilizing mix

I'm using a stabilizing mix because this is a savory ice cream which means I'll be using much less sugar than

typical for an ice cream and thus I'll use things such as powdered glucose to provide the texture required 

without the proper amount of sugar, which traditionally provides the proper texture. 

The bacon infused cream mixture is brought to a simmer.

the infused cream mixture is then added to the yolks, sugar & stabilizers in thirds to temper the egg

the mixture is then returned to the heat and slowly warmed to thicken the mixture

once complete the mixture is cooled with an ice bath, I've essentially got a bacon anglaise at this point.

The mixture is then allowed to mature overnight. 

Day 2 (Churning):

The matured base is added to the ice cream machine

within about 35 minutes, the ice cream is nearly ready

the ice cream is at a soft serve stage now, ready for finishing...

I chose to fold in some crispy bacon bits for added flavor & texture in the finished product

Now the ice cream will be placed in the freezer for a minimum of 6 hours to harden.

I'll let you know soon how this has turned out, early intel is very positive.

to be continued...