Episode 6 : Ice Cream Making
In smoking hot Austin, Texas, ice cream is not just a treat, it is a lifesaver! At the Austin Ice Cream Festival, competitors make ice cream the old-fashioned way – by hand-cranking freezing cream until it sets. It takes a strong arm and considerable stamina, but true ice cream purists know it is worth it. In his quest to take home the prize for best new flavour, Bob uses his nouvelle cuisine perspective to re-invent a classic. In true Bob style, he devises his own foot-crank bicycle ice-cream maker. But will it play in Texas?
Recipes:
Bacon maple crunch ice cream
The base recipe for my ice cream was given to me by the fabulous Amy of Amy’s Ice Creams in Austin, Texas
Ingredients:
5 egg yolks
1 pinch salt
½ cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
4 cups heavy cream
2 cups grade B maple syrup
4 pounds rock salt for the ice cream-making process
Method:
1. In a medium-size bowl, add yolks, salt and sugar. Whip until pale yellow.
2. Transfer to a large pot and stir in milk. Over medium heat, gently bring mixture to a scald (the point just before a simmer at which a film forms over the back of a metal spoon that is dipped into the liquid).
3. Remove from heat and add maple syrup. Chill liquid in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. Stir in cream and transfer to an ice cream maker. Follow manufacturer’s direction.
5. When ice cream is ready, stir in about a cup of bacon brittle bits (it’s your call on how much to add).
6. Transfer to a container with a lid and freeze for a minimum of 2 hours before serving.
Yield: about 2 quarts
Bacon Brittle
This improved version is based on a recipe from my friend Elizabeth Karmel. The recipe makes about 3 cups which allows for a generous amount of left-overs. I promise you, they won’t last for long.
Ingredients:
2 cups granulated white sugar
6 strips smoky bacon (my favorite national brand is Nueske’s)
2 tablespoons butter + extra for greasing pan
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle or a pinch of cayenne
Method:
1. Set out a cookie sheet and grease it with butter. Reserve.
2. Cook bacon, any way you want, until it is super crispy. Pat dry with a paper towel. Let cool, then chop as finely as possible (think: dust). Reserve.
3. In a sauce pan over medium-high heat, add sugar. Stir constantly for approximately 4 minutes, or until sugar melts into a light golden liquid. (If lumps develop, keep stirring, they will melt away). Keep stirring for approximately two more minutes, or until liquid turns the color of butterscotch.
4. Remove from heat and immediately stir in butter. Then add baking soda and mix thoroughly. Stir in bacon and chipotle.
5. Pour onto cookie sheet and let cool until hard (approximately 15 minutes). Use a mallet or your hands to break into bite size pieces. Then smash about one third of the brittle into itsy bitsy pieces. Use the small bits for your ice cream and store remaining Pig Candy in an airtight jar. Guard with your life.
Yield: about 3 cups