What to do with all that Corn, The Recipe

Summer is about to elude us, which means that with it goes its bounty of produce. Be sure to make this recipe while corn is still in season and before this Indian summer comes to a close.

Surly Tran's Sweet Corn Ice Cream

3 ears of corn
2 c whole milk
1 1/2 c heavy cream
1/2 c sugar plus ¼ c sugar
1/2 vanilla bean
8 egg yolks
coarse sea salt to top

Strip 3 ears of fresh sweet corn. I use the corn stripper from Oxo but you can also just use a knife. Set the kernels aside and break the cobs into thirds.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine milk, heavy cream, ½ c of sugar, and broken cob pieces. Take half a vanilla bean and split it long wise. Using the back of your knife, scrape the seeds from the inside of the bean and add to the pot along with the scraped beans. Bring to a boil.

While waiting for your pot to boil, puree your corn kernels in a food processor or blender and add this to your pot. When the pot has come to a boil, shut it off and let it sit for an hour letting the flavors infuse together.

After an hour bring the mixture back to a boil and shut off again. Take out all of the broken cob pieces and vanilla beans. In a bowl whisk together 8 egg yolks and ¼ c of sugar. Temper the yolks by whisking in a ladle of the hot cream mixture into the yolks, making sure to whisk constantly so they don’t curdle. Add the yolks to the hot cream mixture and continue to stir until the custard starts to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Once the custard is thick enough, strain the custard through a sieve or chinois and discarding the solids to get a nice and smooth custard. Chill the custard in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, freeze the custard in an ice cream machine. Sprinkle sea salt on top right before serving. (Surly prefers Himalayan pink sea salt, which adds a nice color contrast.)