Trump Card

In the past, when pursuing a boy, I have relied a great deal on my abilities in the kitchen. This method has always worked well for me, I mean, who doesn't like it when someone else cooks good food for them? Recently however, I have found myself in a bit of a quandary in the wooing department. How do you woo a boy who can compete with you in the kitchen? How do you entice a boy who candies Cherry Blossoms,
who makes you Vietnamese sandwiches,
who makes Homemade English Muffins, fries up Soft Shell Crabs,
and makes curried Monk Fish Wrapped in Bacon with some weird looking vegetable you've never heard of before?
When trying to cultivate the affections of a boy who can cook, and does cook quit often, the only choice you have is to play your trump card, in my case, that would be Candied Bacon and Maple Ice Cream. It certainly isn't kosher, but it is damn good. And any man who could turn down a scoop of this stuff atop a stack of pancakes must have some serious problems, or he could be a vegetarian. Either way, I'm not interested.
Don't have a courting trump card of your own? That's cool, go right ahead and borrow mine.

Candied Bacon and Maple Ice Cream

Ingredients
8-10 strips of bacon
1/2 cup - raw sugar
1 1/2 cups - whole milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups - heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
3/4 cup - dark amber maple syrup
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Candied Bacon

• In 2 batches, cook bacon in a 12 inch heavy skillet over med heat until it is lightly browned but still flexible
• Transfer bacon to a paper towel to drain and pour excess fat from pan.
• Return bacon to skillet and cover with sugar. Cook over a low flame.
• Once the sugar begins to dissolve, keep a close eye out so it does not burn. Occasionally turn bacon with tongs until it is cover with melted sugar. It should look lacquered.
• Remove and let cool on a paper bag.

Ice Cream ( This recipe comes from David Lebovitz's book The Perfect Scoop)

• Warm milk and sugar in saucepan. Pour cream into a large bowl and set strainer on top.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then scrape back into saucepan
• Stir mixture constantly over med heat with a heatproof spatula, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats spatula
• Pour the custard through the strainer and stir into cream to cool.
  
• Add maple syrup, salt, and vanilla then stir until cool over an ice bath.
• Chill mixture thoroughly then freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions
• During the last few minutes of churning, add the chopped up candied bacon.