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bacon bourbon ice cream

Culinary Sins: Bacon and Bourbon Ice Cream

Bacon? And Bourbon? In ice cream? You bet! Not only is it now a thing, it's also a pretty damn good thing!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 18 hours
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 19 hours
Servings 4 -6
Author Johan Johansen

Ingredients

  • 150 grams thin-cut quality bacon
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 100 grams sugar
  • 1 teaspoon maple syrup can substitute simple syrup or liquid honey
  • 1 vailla pod
  • 150 ml Bourbon whiskey
  • 500 ml heavy cream

Instructions

Day one:

  1. Slice the bacon into 1 cm strips and dump into a heavy bottom sauce pan, turn heat under pan to medium.
  2. Cook bacon for a couple of minutes until the fat has rendered out and the pieces are nice and brown.
  3. Pour off the fat and reserve for some other use, keep the bacon in the pan over medium heat and add the Bourbon. Stand back, it might flame!
  4. Cook the bacon in the Bourbon over medium heat until the bourbon has reduced by about 2/3.
  5. Take the pan off the heat and strain the bacon infused Bourbon into a separate small bowl, taking care to reserve the bacon bits. Add the maple syrup to the Bourbon, stir and cover the bacon Bourbon infusion then put it in the fridge overnight.
  6. Pour the cream into the still hot sauce pan along with all the reserved bacon bits, allow the pan to cool, then put it in the fridge and leave the creamy mess to infuse overnight (about twelve hours).

Day two:

  1. First things first, check on the bourbon. A solid, cloudy layermay have formed on the top. This is congealed bourbon infused bacon fat. It’s good stuff, you’ll want to carefully remove it and reserve for some other use. Pork chops, anyone?
  2. Next, strain the bacon bits from the cream. Put the cream back in the fridge and discard the bacon, its job is done.

Making the ice cream:

  1. In a heavy bottom sauce pan add three egg yolks, 100 grams of sugar and the bacon-infused bourbon.
  2. Heat to about 60C over low heat, whisking vigorously until sugar has dissolved and mixture is creamy and frothy. Then remove egg mixture from heat.
  3. Split the vanilla pod in half, scrape out the seeds and add to your eggs mixture. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature while still whisking, you can do so in an ice water bath if you like, or through plain old patience.
  4. Once mixture has cooled down, grab your bacon-infused cream from the fridge (you'll want it very cold at this stage) and whip it using your favorite tool for the job (be it your hand or an electric mixer).
  5. Carefully fold the egg mixture into the whipped cream, making sure not to force out he air that you’ve just beaten into it.
  6. Carefully pour the parfait mixture into a suitable container and stash in the freezer for at least 4-6 hours, overnight would be better.
  7. NOTE: Remove ice cream from the freezer about 20-30 minutes prior to scooping and serving.

Recipe Notes

Food safety warning: This recipe contains raw/undercooked egg yolks! If you're the least bit worried about food-borne illnesses, please consider using pasteurized egg yolks, or use fresh eggs from a trusted source. Salmonella is rare, but no joke!