photo by: John Young

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Every time I tell someone I’m making sweet corn ice cream, I’m met with suspicious stares or, on occasion, downright anger. “Why,” they cry, “would you ruin perfectly good homemade ice cream by putting a vegetable in it?”

My 6-year-old son nearly cried when I first asked him to try it.

I promise everyone that this is a standard dessert in Mexico, and I daresay I’ve improved on that version because I tend to be averse to actual frozen kernels of corn in my cream, so I’ve found a way to get the milky sweetness and light corn flavor into my ice cream without sacrificing a pure and velvety texture.

My 6-year-old is now a really big fan, by the way.

You can dress up sweet corn ice cream with blackberries or raspberries or nuts or even chocolate, but I tend to prefer it unadulterated so I can really identify that corny deliciousness. It’s combining my two favorite summer things — garden-fresh corn and homemade ice cream — into a beautiful duet.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

3 ears sweet corn, cleaned
1 cup milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup half and half
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cut the raw corn from the cob and combine with a cup of milk. Blend thoroughly (I use a stick blender for this) and then push the liquid through a mesh strainer.

In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs and egg yolk, and then add the rest of the ingredients and beat until the mixture gets a little bit thick.

It’s best if you can chill this for a few hours or overnight, but if you are like me and you don’t have time for that kind of planning ahead, just go ahead and put it in your ice cream freezer and eat it as soon as it’s frozen.

I always top mine with caramel corn, but berries or chocolate sauce are good too.