Sasaki Time: Maple-Bacon Shake

Ingredients

yield: 4

2 slices bacon (about 2 ounces/57 grams), cut into thin strips
6 tablespoons cold whole or lowfat milk (about 3 ounces/90 milliliters)
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup, preferably grade B (about 1 ounce/30 milliliters)
Pinch of salt
8 medium scoops French vanilla ice cream (about 1 quart/24 ounces/680 grams), softened until just melty at the edges

Fry the bacon in a small skillet set over medium heat, stirring frequently, until rendered and crisp, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove the cooked bacon to paper towels to drain, and nibble on it or reserve it for garnishing the shake. Off the heat, brieﬂy cool the fat in the skillet.
Place the milk, maple syrup, 1 tablespoon of cooled bacon fat (if there is any more, you can discard it), salt, and ice cream in a blender and pulse several times to begin breaking up the ice cream. With the blender motor off, use a flexible spatula to mash the mixture down onto the blender blades. Continue pulsing, stopping, and mashing until the mixture is well blended, thick, and moves easily in the blender jar, roughly 30 to 90 seconds. Pour into a chilled glass or glasses, and serve at once, garnishing with rendered bacon if desired.