MAPLE BACON ICE CREAM

Yes, Maple Bacon Ice cream.  I have been wanting to make this for YEARS!  I found a recipe from the food network kitchens for a good maple ice cream with a bacon brittle and decided to try it out.  The recipe can be found here.

I beat together 3 egg yolks with 1/4 cup of sugar.

I added 1 cup of milk and 2 cups of heavy cream and brought the mixture to a simmer.

Once it was cooked enough to coat the back of a spoon I added 2 cups of grade be maple syrup and set it aside to cool.

When I placed it in the ice cream maker, I began to work on the bacon brittle.

I microwaved 3 strips of bacon rather than cooking it in a pan.  Once it was cooled I chopped it up and set it aside.

 Yes, there are 4 slices here...I wanted a snack.

In a sauce pan, I melted 1 cup of sugar until it was light amber in color.

I took it off the heat, and added 1 Tbsp of butter

1/2 tsp of baking soda

the bacon and 1/8 tsp of chili powder.

It didn't become a brittle so much as a bacon rock candy, but it is crunchy and delicious!

I added the smaller bits into the ice cream as it churned.

Oh sweet babies, this tastes amazing!  The most challenging part of this whole experiment was the bacon candy.  I don't make candy very often, so it's difficult to determine its doneness.  And I had to try it a couple of times before it was right-ish.

My first attempt...it tasted really bad.

Enjoy.

Peach Ice Cream

With all of the wedding planning and errand running, and the God Awful HEAT, I haven't been doing much baking this summer.  However, I did bust out the ice cream machine for a lovely little treat.  I decided to make a frozen treat with the peaches I had in my fridge, so I did what any sensible culinarian would do.  I searched the internet.  I decided to use a Paula Deen Recipe from the food network's website.  Ok, yes, Paula Deen has come under heavy scrutiny as of late, and even though I am thoroughly disappointed in her behavior, and I will definitely not come to her defense in regards to her use of the "n-word" whether it was 40 years ago or not, this was the best recipe I could find.  Fresh peaches, no use of peach schnapps, and less fatty (I know, I can't believe it myself) than other ice cream recipes I have used.

I started off by whisking 3 egg yolks together with 3/4 cup of brown sugar.

Next I simmered 1 1/2 cups of milk with 1 1/2 cups of heavy cream.

I tempered the egg mixture with the hot dairy (You can thank my fiance for the next shot)

And added 2 tsp of vanilla extract once it cooled.

While the dairy sat in the fridge cooling off, I decided rather than dice up the peaches, I would puree them so the finished product could be smooth.

After an hour in the machine, I had a lovely ice cream.  It tastes of peaches and toasty brown sugar.  Very creamy, and so refreshing.  I could use a more peach forward flavor profile, however.

I hope you enjoyed this baking adventure.  Next time I make this, I'll probably puree more peaches to get the flavor I want.  All in all, a successful creation.

Enjoy.

Baking for an Impending Vacation

This is the 5th year my friends and I have gone to Cape Hatteras together to spend a week on the beach.  In the past, I have brought a few baked goods, usually a dozen cupcakes, maybe cookies or a key lime pie.  Also, in the past, those goodies were gone within the first couple of days.  Well not this year!

BAM!

I made quite the spread.

Chocolate chip cookies as well as chocolate peanut butter cup cookies.

Homemade oreos.

Banana Bread

And key lime pie.

The key lime pie is intended as a gift for my friend's family who will also be staying in Hatteras, but in a different house.  Hopefully these goodies will last the week in a house with 6 other people.  

Have a great week!

The Unveiling of the KitchenAid, and Homemade Oreos

Last month, I received quite a few lovely gifts at my bridal shower.  One of these lovely gifts was something I have coveted for quite some time.

This is a professional grade KitchenAid standing mixer, capable of holding up to 14 cups of flour.  My bridesmaids as well as my mom and future mother in law got this for me, and I am in love.

I've used it a few times already, and it makes my baking adventures so much easier!

I made some white chocolate butter cream for a batch of cupcakes and I decided to use the leftovers as the cream in some homemade oreos!

I combined 1 1/4 cups of flour

with 1/2 cup of cocoa powder

1 cup of white sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

and 1/4 tsp salt.

I added 1 1/4 sticks of butter to the dry mix

and 1 egg until they were fully incorporated.

After using my cookie scoop to lay out my batch, I used my fingers to flatten the cookies.

I baked them for 9 minutes in a 375 degree oven.

They came out rather nicely, although the dough only produced enough cookies for 17 sandwiches.

In fact, the only problem with these was that there wasn't nearly enough.  They tasted so good!

Enjoy!