Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Corn is a “vegetable” that is pretty sweet, so it makes sense (in my mind) to try dessert applications of it. After getting a baker’s dozen ears of corn at the Saturday farmer’s market, I was all set to make… ice cream!

This weekend was not the first time that I’ve made corn ice cream. But I wanted to try the version described in the Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream cookbook. The first step was to strip the kernels off four cobs of corn, and infuse the sweetened cream/milk mixture with the leftover cobs. I put everything into the fridge at this point, to accommodate my schedule.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

Later in the day, I re-warmed the infused cream (removing the cobs at this point) and made the custard. To halt the cooking immediately, I dumped the chilled corn kernels into the heated mixture, before pureeing and straining it.

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

The finished ice cream had a mild, raw corn flavour, with a pale yellow colour. I’m on the fence about this one: while I welcome the idea of a corn ice cream, I’m not sure how to improve this particular example. Try cooking the corn first? Play with the sugar or salt content? Use these in an ice cream sandwich made with corn cookies?

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