Sweet Corn and Black Pepper Ice Cream
Creamed corn is a well established Southern tradition, as is corn roasted with salt and black pepper. These two meet in this surprising dessert that reinvents those side dish staples as a rich, creamy frozen treat. The corn is roasted before infusing the cream to give it an even more robust corn taste. You have to try it to believe it. It's a revelation!
Ingredients
- 3 ears of corn
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 5 egg yolks
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon fresh grated black pepper
Directions
- Heat oven to 450° F.
- Cut kernels off of cob, halving and reserving the cobs, and toss it all with the olive oil, salt, and brown sugar on a sheet tray. Roast at 450° for 10-15 minutes or until corn has begun to caramelize.
- Meanwhile, whisk the white sugar with the egg yolks until thick, pale, and creamy.
- Once corn is done, heat milk and cream together in a large stockpot over medium until just steaming and bubbling around the edges but not boiling. Add the corn, cobs and all.
- Bring corn and cream mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, remove from heat, cover, and let steep 15 minutes.
- Remove cobs, strain liquid into a clean bowl, pressing on solids to get the most out of it. Clean out the pot and add the milk mixture back into it.
- Little by little whisk some of the hot milk mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. After you've added about 1 cup of hot milk and the yolks are warm, pour it slowly into the rest of the milk mixture, stirring constantly.
- Cook this custard until it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain one more time into a clean bowl, stir in the black pepper, cool, and refrigerate covered for at least 3 hours and up to 8 until completely chilled.
- Churn in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's instructions. When done, pour into a container, place plastic wrap directly on the surface, and chill in the freezer to set.
