I created this Sweet Corn Ice Cream recipe many, many years ago - back in 2006!
It was early on in our relationship, and I was just learning how much of a feral corn addict my new husband was. I'd like to joke that he could live on corn, every meal, every snack, endlessly... but I'm not entirely sure how much of a "joke" it would be!
It was that realization that led me down the path that would eventually culminate in a cookbook, "Maize Craze"!
For his birthday that year, I decided to make him a "day of corn". Every meal, every snack... would involve corn. Corn pancakes for breakfast, corn chips and corn salsa as a snack, you get the idea. Honestly, some of the stuff I came up with - including the corn ice cream - came from a place of creative snark, more than anything.
Snarky or not, he LOVED it... and so did I!
The Sweet Corn Ice Cream may have been a bit of a joke at first, but it was super tasty. You wouldn't think that corn - a grain, and usually used as a savoury side - would work so well, but it really does.
So, not to sound like a gross hipster or anything, but... we were making Sweet Corn Ice Cream before it was cool to do so! 🙂
This recipe is actually for a frozen custard, more so than an ice cream - but the lines between the two have really blurred, in modern usage .
In terms of equipment, you can make this with or without an ice cream maker - I know plenty of people just freeze and stir the custard in various ways - but to be honest... I'm way too lazy for that. I just use an ice cream maker (This one is the model we have), and let it do its thing.
Enjoy!
This recipe is one of the MANY fabulous sweet corn recipes featured in my book, "Maize Craze: Spectacular Sweet Corn Recipes". I'd say "If summer eating was a book, this would be it!", but then I think of the Roasted Sweet Corn Chowder and Hearty Corn and Black Bean Soup and have to take pause on that thought!
Anyway, if you're a fan of fresh sweet corn, you should definitely treat yourself to a copy! It's available directly through our site, through Amazon, and through most major booksellers!)
Note: This site is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for the site to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites. While I’ll only ever link to items that I, personally, wholeheartedly recommend, I do need to put that disclosure out there!
Sweet Corn Ice Cream
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Ears fresh sweet corn husks removed
- 2 cups Whole milk
- 8 Large egg yolks
- 3/4 cup Granulated sugar
- 2 cups Heavy cream
- 1/4 tsp Salt
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut kernels off the ears of corn, placing them into a food processor or blender, along with the milk.
- Process until corn is rendered into small pieces. Pour into a saucepan.
- Heat corn and milk mixture to just to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Do not let it come to boil! Remove from heat, allow to steep for 10 minutes.
- Once mixture has steeped, run it through a fine mesh strainer, and into a clean saucepan. Discard the corn pulp.
- Heat mixture over medium just to a simmer once again.
- Combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until fluffy, pale yellow, and smooth. Add heavy cream and salt, whisk until well incorporated.
- Stream egg mixture into saucepan, whisking to incorporate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens - it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and then chill thoroughly until ready to use.
- Follow your ice cream maker’s instructions to freeze custard mixture - depending on the size of the ice cream maker, you may need to do this in multiple batches. Keep any extra ice cream mix chilled until use - process into frozen custard within a day or two.
- Serve immediately for a soft ice cream, or freeze for at least 2 hours for a more firm ice cream.
Makes about 1 ½ quarts
3 Ears fresh sweet corn, husks removed
2 cups Whole milk
8 Large egg yolks
3/4 cup Granulated sugar
2 cups Heavy cream
1/4 tsp Salt
Using a sharp knife, carefully cut kernels off the ears of corn, placing them into a food processor or blender, along with the milk.
Process until corn is rendered into small pieces. Pour into a saucepan.
Heat corn and milk mixture to just to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Do not let it come to boil! Remove from heat, allow to steep for 10 minutes.
Once mixture has steeped, run it through a fine mesh strainer, and into a clean saucepan. Discard the corn pulp.
Heat mixture over medium just to a simmer once again.
Combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Whisk until fluffy, pale yellow, and smooth. Add heavy cream and salt, whisk until well incorporated.
Stream egg mixture into saucepan, whisking to incorporate. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens - it should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and then chill thoroughly until ready to use.
Follow your ice cream maker’s instructions to freeze custard mixture - depending on the size of the ice cream maker, you may need to do this in multiple batches. Keep any extra ice cream mix chilled until use - process into frozen custard within a day or two.
Serve immediately for a soft ice cream, or freeze for at least 2 hours for a more firm ice cream.
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