The dog days of August scream for cool relief, and lots of it. Technically, our favorite summertime treat contains cream, milk and up to 60% air incorporated during the spinning process.
The first record of edible iced confections dates back to 12th Century China, of all places. During the 17th century, having ice was a sign of prestige. Large pyramids of ice and fruit were constructed for extravagant events; these creations were the official precursor to ice cream. Cooks began to experiment with other frozen liquids such as milk, cream, custards and puddings.
Today, chefs continue to experiment with frozen dairy treats. Wonderful flavors are incorporated into ice cream such as basil, corn and even the perennial favorite: bacon. Being big fans of coffee ice cream, we decided to try a little twist on two favorite breakfast ingredients; coffee and bacon. Here’s the result:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2 whole eggs
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup espresso (or VERY strong coffee)
½ teaspoon coffee or espresso, finely ground
4 slices Billionaire’s bacon (recipe here)
Combine eggs, yolks, coffee and coffee grounds and brown sugar in a bowl and mix thoroughly with a whisk or electric beater for about 3 minutes. Heat milk and cream in a medium saucepan, but do not let them boil, just “scald” it until it is near the boiling point - a thin skin may form on the surface.
Remove from heat and very slowly pour in 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and beat rapidly with a whisk. Then pour the egg-milk mixture into the saucepan with the remaining milk mixture while beating. Return the mixture to medium low heat, stirring constantly for a few more minutes to thicken the mixture. When it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, turn off the heat.
Pour ice cream mixture into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap placed directly on the surface of the liquid and refrigerate until completely cool. Then, pour mixture into ice cream maker (we use a Krups "La Glaciere") and follow your machine’s directions for how long it should churn.
Crumble the slices of Billionaire’s bacon and add to the ice cream machine during the last minutes of churning. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze for 2 hours before serving. Garnish dish with another piece of Billionaire’s bacon and a pinch of black pepper or espresso powder.
Denise and Dom Romeo are food bloggers who enjoy spending time together doing what they love best: cooking and entertaining! Follow their food adventures on their award winning blog; We Like To Cook! at www.welike2cook.com.
