Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Bacon & Cherries

Ice Cream.

It’s the perfect summer treat. The perfect indulgence.

Over the past few years there has been a rocket-like upswing in people putting bacon on…everything. Sometimes delicious things have been more delicious. Other times, it seems like its an exercise in trying to bacon-ize anything and everything possible, just for bacon’s sake.

This recipe falls in the first camp. There is something incredible about paring vanilla and bacon. I first noticed this when my brother and I ran a doughnut pop-up shop a few years ago. We made a Maple Bacon Bar, a yeasted doughnut filled with custard, and topped with maple bacon, and people. went. crazy. They were seriously sold out in minutes, and I probably had 2 every single Saturday.

Side note – if you haven’t made yeasted doughnuts before, I highly recommend it. They’re so much fun to make, and bring a smile to every member of your friends & family. Maybe the perfect happy food.

A very close second to ‘The Perfect Happy Food’? Ice cream. Most definitely, ice cream.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream with Bacon & Cherries

284ml whipping cream

300ml whole milk

115g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

3 large egg yolks

6 strips of bacon

Cherries, for topping

Pour your cream and milk into a saucepan, along with your sugar. Split your vanilla bean in half, and scrap the seeds into the milk. Drop in your vanilla pod, and place the pan over medium low heat. Stir your milk with a wooden spoon until the milk warms, and the sugar has dissolves. Set aside for 30 minutes to steep.

Whisk your egg yolks together in a large bowl.

Remove the vanilla pod from the cream mixture, and reheat it on the stove until it just comes to a boil. Take it off the heat, and while constantly whisking, pour about 1 tablespoon into the egg yolks to temper them. Repeat this 4 or 5 times, and then pour the remaining milk into the eggs.

Prepare an ice-bath by filling a large bowl with 3 cups of ice.

Pour the entire mixture back into the sauce pan and place it back on the stove over medium heat. While constantly stirring, cook the custard until it coats the back of a wooden spoon (about 8 minutes).

Immediately place the cooked custard over the ice-bath to cool for 30 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

The next day, cook your bacon by baking it on a tray in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees, until nice and crispy. Cool the bacon to room temperature. Crumble the bacon into small pieces.

Chill your custard in an ice-cream maker, according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is just about finished, add your crumbled bacon, reserving 2 or 3 tablespoons for topping the ice cream.

Pour the ice cream into a freezer safe container, and chill in the freezer for 4 – 5 hours. Top the ice cream cones with cherries and a few more pieces of bacon. Delicious.