Warm Skillet Hoecake

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Mix all dry ingredients together in medium bowl.
3. Mix all wet ingredients except clarified butter and whole butter in another bowl.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ones and mix well.
5. Fold in clarified butter.
6. In cast iron skillet, melt whole butter over medium heat.
7. For each hoecake, add 4-oz. ladle of cake batter and cook until edges are set, 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Place in oven and cook until almost set, 3 to 4 minutes.
9. Remove from heat, flip cake over and let rest 1 minute.

Bacon Caramel

1. In large skillet, slowly cook bacon until crisp.
2. Drain on paper towel, and reserve until cool enough to handle.
3. Chop bacon into small pieces.
4. Add bacon to small pot with heavy cream and bring to simmer.
5. Remove from heat and let steep like tea for 20 minutes.
6. In separate pot, slowly heat brown sugar until it is melted and syrupy.
7. Add heavy cream mixture into sugar mixture.
8. Slowly whisk in butter and reserve.

Maple Ice Cream

1. Fill large bowl halfway with ice and water.
2. Heat maple syrup in small saucepan over medium heat, simmering until it’s reduced by a quarter, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
3. Heat cream and milk in medium saucepan over medium heat until just simmering, about 5 minutes.
4. Whisk yolks in medium heatproof bowl until light in color and thickened slightly, about 2 minutes.
5. Once milk mixture is simmering, remove from heat and pour about ½ cup into yolks, whisking constantly.
6. Return yolk mixture to saucepan with remaining milk mixture and place over medium-low heat.
7. Cook, stirring constantly, until custard is thick and coats back of spoon, about 3 minutes. (When you run your finger through the custard, a line should hold and not run back into itself.)
8. Remove custard from heat and stir in maple syrup reduction and salt.
9. Pour custard through fine-mesh strainer into large heatproof bowl and place over ice bath until chilled, about 40 minutes.
10. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
11. Once ice cream base is chilled, freeze it in ice cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Plating:

1. For each serving, place 1 warm Skillet Hoecake in a bowl or on a plate.
2. Top with 1 scoop Maple Ice Cream.
3. Drizzle with Bacon Caramel.