Helado de Elote
The culinary diversity of corn is manifested in its incredible array of preparations. It’s most often associated with and used in savory dishes, but it has snuck into various sweet ones, and corn ice cream is absolutely one of the best. Be sure to take advantage of the height of corn season, because fresh corn’s sweetness will seep into the flavor of the ice cream. Traditionally, this ice cream is not made with a custard base, but I believe that it enhances the creaminess of the corn.
Recipe information
Yield
makes about 5 cups
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Slice the kernels from the corn into a bowl. Break the cobs into 3 pieces and put them with the kernels into a saucepan. Add the milk, heavy cream, and 1/2 cup of the sugar and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring. Remove from the heat and allow to steep, covered, for 1 hour.
Step 2
Remove the cobs and discard. Remove about 1 cup of the corn kernels and reserve. Purée the mixture in the pot with an immersion blender and bring to a boil over medium heat.
Step 3
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and the salt. Slowly whisk about half of the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture and stir rapidly. Return the mixture to the pot and cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula, until it is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, 10 to 15 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and press down with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Add the vanilla and the reserved corn kernels and stir to combine. Pour into a container, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top, and chill over an ice bath until cool. Refrigerate, covered, until completely cool, about 3 hours, and freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
