A little over two months ago, I blogged about the cookbook we read for our family book club. It was our son-in-law’s book pick and we all made recipes from Diasporican by Illyanna Maisonet and shared what we made with the group during the virtual book talk.
I knew what I wanted to make by the second page of the foreword. On that page of the cookbook, there was a picture of an ice cream cone filled with corn ice cream that looked so very enticing. I decided right then that my recipe pick was going to be corn ice cream, a Puerto Rican sweet treat.
There was only one problem with my plan. The recipe for the sweet, icy treat shown in the foreword was not anywhere in the cookbook! Fortunately, the internet came to my rescue and after reading through half a dozen recipes for corn ice cream, I found the one I wanted to make. It was well worth the search.
This luxurious and velvety smooth ice cream is made with sweet corn cut from the cob and cooked with brown sugar and cinnamon. Crema, a thinner, tangier version of sour cream is one of the main ingredients and one that I was not able to find in our local stores. Instead, I substituted sour cream thinned with lime juice to approximate the crema. It worked splendidly and the ice cream was a delicious success!
Nothing says Summer like corn on the cob & ice cream, and the combination of the two is even better!
Corn-Crema Ice Cream
Corn-Crema Ice Cream (Helado de Maíz y Crema) adapted from seriouseats.com
Total Time Required: 8 hours, Active Time: 60 minutes, Freezing Time: 4 hours, Makes: 1 quart, Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 6 ears fresh corn, shucked
- 3 cups crema (or 3 cups sour cream + 2 tablespoons lime juice)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 9 large egg yolks
Directions:
Freeze the ice cream maker insert according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Cut one end off of each cob to create a flat surface. Stand the cob (one at a time) upright, resting the cut end on a cutting board, pie plate, or large shallow mixing bowl. With a chef’s knife, cut the kernels off, rotating the cob as you go. Reserve the cob. Repeat with the remaining cobs.
Remove the kernels from the cobs.
Combine the corn kernels, crema (or sour cream and lime juice substitute), milk, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, salt, and corn cobs in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan.
Add the corn kernels and cobs, crema, milk, brown sugar, and cinnamon sticks to a saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low and allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it stand for 20 minutes.
Simmer for 20 minutes.
Remove and discard the cobs and cinnamon sticks.
Using a food mill, process the mixture into a large bowl then use a wand blender to blend the mixture until it is smooth. (Alternately, puree the mixture in a blender, in batches if necessary, after running it through the food mill.)
Blend the corn mixture until smooth.
Strain the pureed mixture into another large bowl. Return the mixture to a large saucepan and bring it back to a simmer over medium heat.
Strain the mixture.
Whisk the egg yolks in large bowl until they are smooth. In a slow, steady stream, carefully pour 2 cups of the simmering mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously.
Add some of the corn mixture to the beaten egg yolks.
Whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Whisk the egg-corn mixture back into the saucepan.
Strain the custard into a large bowl and cool completely, about 3 hours in the refrigerator, or cool the bowl down quickly in an ice bath for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring until cooled.
Strain the custard.
Churn the corn custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Churn the custard in an ice cream maker.
When it has thickened, transfer the ice cream to a freezer safe container and freeze until solid, about 4 hours.
Absolutely delicious!
Serve in a cone or dish and enjoy.
Another inspired way to enjoy sweet corn! ~Linda
Corn-Crema Ice Cream (Helado de Maíz y Crema) adapted from seriouseats.com
Total Time Required: 8 hours, Active Time: 60 minutes, Freezing Time: 4 hours, Makes: 1 quart, Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 6 ears fresh corn, shucked
- 3 cups crema (or 3 cups sour cream + 2 tablespoons lime juice)
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 9 large egg yolks
Directions:
Freeze the ice cream maker insert according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Cut one end off of each cob to create a flat surface. Stand the cob (one at a time) upright, resting the cut end on a cutting board, pie plate, or large shallow mixing bowl. With a chef’s knife, cut the kernels off, rotating the cob as you go. Reserve the cob. Repeat with the remaining cobs.
Combine the corn kernels, crema (or sour cream and lime juice substitute), milk, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, salt, and corn cobs in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low and allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the mixture from the heat and let it stand for 20 minutes.
Remove and discard the cobs and cinnamon sticks.
Using a food mill, process the mixture into a large bowl then use a wand blender to blend the mixture until it is smooth. (Alternately, puree the mixture in a blender, in batches if necessary, after running it through the food mill.) Strain the pureed mixture into another large bowl. Return the mixture to a large saucepan and bring it back to a simmer over medium heat.
Whisk the egg yolks in large bowl until they are smooth. In a slow, steady stream, carefully pour 2 cups of the simmering mixture into the eggs, whisking continuously. Whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches a temperature of 170°F, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Strain the custard into a large bowl and cool completely, about 3 hours in the refrigerator, or cool the bowl down quickly in an ice bath for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring until cooled. Churn the corn custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When it has thickened, transfer to a freezer safe container and freeze until solid, about 4 hours. Serve in a cone or dish and enjoy.