My Baitcon 2014 Ice Cream Flavors: Bacon Cashew Toffee
weegoddess and I created this and it's absolute crack.
Toffee:
1 cup butter + 2 tbsp butter (Kerrigold salted preferred)
1 cup dark brown sugar (Trader Joe’s Organic Dark preferred)
1 pound bacon, thick cut and well cooked until crisp (Karl’s Sausage Kitchen preferred)
1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
1/2 tsp maple syrup (Grade B Dark Amber preferred)
1/4 tsp coarse salt
Lay out a double layer of paper towels on an ovenproof plate and put up to six slices of bacon on it. Cover with more paper towel and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Microwave more as needed until the bacon is crisp. Remove, blot off any melted fat and allow to cool. Repeat with the rest of the bacon. When all done and cooled, crumble into small pieces.
Coarsely chop cashews. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan, turn off heat and add the cashews, stirring to coat them thoroughly. Add the salt and maple syrup, mixing well. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 350’F convection oven for 7-8 minutes, turning the cashews halfway through. Do not allow to burn! Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove cashews, leaving any loose butter on the sheet.
Butter pan and place a sheet of parchment paper in pan bottom. Cover with the bacon and cashew pieces, mixing thoroughly.
Melt together the cup of butter and the brown sugar in a pot over medium heat, stirring constantly and checking with a candy thermometer until the mixture reaches 300’F. Immediately remove from heat and pour over cashew & bacon mixture. Note that you want a fairly crumbly toffee. Stir well and allow to cool. Break or chop into small pieces, measure out 3 cups (enjoy the rest by itself or in some other dish) and freeze to prep for mixing into the ice cream.
Ice Cream:
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed (Trader Joe’s Organic Dark preferred)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
4 large eggs
3 cups organic half & half (Trader Joe’s preferred)
1 cup organic sour cream (Trader Joe’s preferred)
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Mix the brown sugar, sugar and cornstarch, then whisk in eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Bring the half & half to just beginning to boil and slowly pour in, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pot and heat over a medium low flame, stirring constantly until the spoon has a thick coating and an instant-read thermometer reads 170’-175’F. Do not let it boil.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pushing the mixture through with the back of a spoon. Allow to cool and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Process in an ice cream machine, adding the praline when the mixture is mostly thickened. This makes a very large batch. Freeze and enjoy and try to leave some for another time.
The rest of this year's flavors to follow soon.
Toffee:
1 cup butter + 2 tbsp butter (Kerrigold salted preferred)
1 cup dark brown sugar (Trader Joe’s Organic Dark preferred)
1 pound bacon, thick cut and well cooked until crisp (Karl’s Sausage Kitchen preferred)
1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
1/2 tsp maple syrup (Grade B Dark Amber preferred)
1/4 tsp coarse salt
Lay out a double layer of paper towels on an ovenproof plate and put up to six slices of bacon on it. Cover with more paper towel and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Microwave more as needed until the bacon is crisp. Remove, blot off any melted fat and allow to cool. Repeat with the rest of the bacon. When all done and cooled, crumble into small pieces.
Coarsely chop cashews. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan, turn off heat and add the cashews, stirring to coat them thoroughly. Add the salt and maple syrup, mixing well. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a 350’F convection oven for 7-8 minutes, turning the cashews halfway through. Do not allow to burn! Remove from oven and allow to cool. Remove cashews, leaving any loose butter on the sheet.
Butter pan and place a sheet of parchment paper in pan bottom. Cover with the bacon and cashew pieces, mixing thoroughly.
Melt together the cup of butter and the brown sugar in a pot over medium heat, stirring constantly and checking with a candy thermometer until the mixture reaches 300’F. Immediately remove from heat and pour over cashew & bacon mixture. Note that you want a fairly crumbly toffee. Stir well and allow to cool. Break or chop into small pieces, measure out 3 cups (enjoy the rest by itself or in some other dish) and freeze to prep for mixing into the ice cream.
Ice Cream:
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed (Trader Joe’s Organic Dark preferred)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
4 large eggs
3 cups organic half & half (Trader Joe’s preferred)
1 cup organic sour cream (Trader Joe’s preferred)
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Mix the brown sugar, sugar and cornstarch, then whisk in eggs, vanilla and sour cream. Bring the half & half to just beginning to boil and slowly pour in, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the pot and heat over a medium low flame, stirring constantly until the spoon has a thick coating and an instant-read thermometer reads 170’-175’F. Do not let it boil.
Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, pushing the mixture through with the back of a spoon. Allow to cool and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Process in an ice cream machine, adding the praline when the mixture is mostly thickened. This makes a very large batch. Freeze and enjoy and try to leave some for another time.
The rest of this year's flavors to follow soon.