Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Cornflake Crunch

Sweet corn ice cream has long been on my to-make list, so I was delighted that the July Improv challenege ingredients were corn and butter. My new favorite cookbook is the Momofuku Milk Bar book by Christina Tosi, and I knew her cornflake crunch would be the perfect topping for the corn ice cream. I did double the sugar in the crunch to make it sweeter since I was using it for an ice cream that wasn't super sweet on its own.

The ice cream was good, with a smooth and creamy texture and a taste that reminded us of Captain Crunch cereal. But for us it wasn't a wow recipe. I added cornflake crunch to half the ice cream after churning, before letting it cure in the freezer, but it lost its crunch, so next time I'll just save it for the topping. When we tried the cured ice cream, it really needed something more, so we added a drizzle of honey and some crunch on top. The sweetness of the honey picked up the subtle sweetness of the corn flavor, giving it the boost in flavor we were looking for. While not the most favorite ice cream we've made, it was definitely fun to try something so different. 

Sweet Corn Ice Cream

4 cups sweet corn*

2 cups milk

2 cups cream

1 cup sugar**

4 egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

Scrape corn from the cob or use frozen corn to measure 4 cups.

In a medium sauce pan, add 2 cups milk, corn (and cobs, if using fresh corn) with 1/2 cup sugar, and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove the cobs and puree the remaining corn and milk mixture until very smooth. Return to the pan, add the cream and over low heat bring to a simmer again. Turn off the heat and let stand for 1 hour. With a mesh strainer strain the milk mixture, using your ladle to push on the solids to extract as much liquid as you can. Toss the  solids that remain.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/2 cup sugar** and salt. Drizzle in about 1/2 cup of the corn and cream mixture while whisking constantly.

Add the warmed egg yolks to the remaining corn liquid in the sauce pan and cook over medium-low heat stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and reaches 160 F. degrees. Strain the mixture into a bowl and add the vanilla. Stir, and chill for 4 hours.

Process in your ice cream machine according to manufacturer's directions.

** I would substitute honey for 1/2 of the sugar next time I make this **

Cornflake Crunch

adapted from Momofuku Milk Bar

5 cups (6 ounces) Cornflakes

6 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup powdered milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

9 tablespoons  butter, melted

Pre heat oven to 275F.

Pour cornflakes in a medium bowl and crush them with your hands to one-quarter of their original size.  Add the powdered milk, sugar, and salt and toss to mix.  Add the butter and toss to coat.  As you toss, the butter will act as glue, binding the dry ingredients to the cereal, creating small clusters.

Spread the clusters on a parchment or silpat lined pan and bake for 20 minutes. they should look toasted and smell buttery.

Cool completely before using.

Printable Recipe

Link:Foodie Friday