This maple ice cream recipe might be just the thing to top some Mother's Day brunch waffles. Why just have maple syrup when you can have maple ice cream?!
In a medium saucepan over moderately high heat, boil the maple syrup until reduced slightly, about 5 minutes.
Lower the heat and stir in the milk, cream, and salt.
Cook until just under a boil (you will see bubbles along the edges of the pot and steam rising from the surface).
Remove from heat.
In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until lightened.
Slowly add a few tablespoons (no more than 1/4 cup total) of the hot milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly.
Add the yolks back to the rest of the milk, whisking constantly.
Cook the mixture over medium-low heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon (if you run your finger across the spoon in a line it shouldn't drip; a candy thermometer will register 170°F). Be careful to not let it boil. (For me, this took just a couple of minutes.)
Strain the mixture through a sieve into a bowl.
Add the maple extract. (At this point, you have maple custard. You may be tempted to eat it all before turning it into ice cream. I wouldn't blame you. It is crazy tasty!)
Chill until very cold, at least 4 hours or overnight.
Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.