Duck Fat Caramel Soy Sauce Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 cups half-and-half
• 6 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons duck fat
• 3 tablespoons high quality soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• Nutmeg, freshly grated, for serving

Directions

1. Use a heavy saucepan that holds 3 quarts, and add the sugar with only enough water to dampen it. Set the pan over high heat so the sugar can melt and start turning into caramel. As it cooks, the bubbles will get smaller and stack up tightly. You are looking for syrup that has slowed its bubbling quite a bit and turned dark amber, like an old penny. Do not stir yet. When the caramel starts to smoke, give it 3 seconds, then stir in the half-and-half and take the pan off the heat. If the caramel hardens up on you, put it back over low heat and stir until smooth.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, duck fat, and soy sauce until they are completely blended. Slowly whisk in about 1/3 of the hot caramel mixture to warm the eggs gently, then scrape the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Cook the custard over low heat, stirring often, until it thickens enough to coat a spoon and your finger leaves a clear trail through it. Take it off the heat, mix in the vanilla, and pour it into an airtight container. Refrigerate overnight.
3. The custard may look a little curdled after its rest, and that is fine. Strain it through a fine-mesh strainer into your ice cream maker, then churn as directed by the manufacturer. Move it to a cold freezer for 3 hours if you want a soft-serve texture, or 8 to 12 for a firmer scoop. Add a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg right before serving. Once scooped, this ice cream melts fast.