Serves a Crowd

Corn Ice Cream with a Blueberry-Tarragon Jam Swirl

August  4, 2011
4.5
2 Ratings
  • Makes about 1 & ½ quarts
Author Notes

I have been intrigued by corn ice cream since seeing a Bizarre Foods episode in which Andrew Zimmern ate bizarre flavored ice creams in Lares, Puerto Rico. The craziest sounding one was Salt Cod, but the most popular one served was corn ice cream. I have also been pretty obsessed with drinking vinegars of late. I recently made a batch with blueberry that I intended on adding some lemon verbena to. When I went out to my herb garden I mistakenly grabbed some tarragon instead. (In my defense it was early, I hadn't had my coffee yet, they are in pots right next to each other, and do look kinda similar.) It happened to be a fortuitous accident as the mild licorice flavor of the tarragon complemented the blueberries gorgeously. When the corn contest was announced, this ice cream idea immediately came to mind. I wanted to use honey to sweeten the ice cream, so I used a honey ice cream recipe as my starting point. The ice cream base came together wonderfully. I had more trouble with my blueberry swirl. When I swirled it with the ice cream it was just too icy. I got a bit of advice from gingerroot and boulangere (thank you, ladies!), and decided to increase the sugar and add a little alcohol. It took a few incarnations and a new ice cream maker, but I am thrilled with the result. I hope you'll give it a try! —hardlikearmour

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • Corn Ice Cream
  • 2 large ears sweet corn
  • 2 & ¼ cups whole milk
  • ½ cup mildly flavored honey (like clover)
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Blueberry-Tarragon Jam
  • 6 T sugar
  • pinch salt
  • 1 ½ cups blueberries, divided
  • ½ granny smith apple, peeled and coarsely grated
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon very finely minced tarragon
  • 1 tablespoon Pernod
Directions
  1. Corn Ice Cream
  2. Remove the kernels from the ears of corn, you should have about 2 cups. Transfer to blender. Stand ears of corn upright and using the dull edge of your knife scrape the remaining kernel bits and corn “milk” from the cobs. Transfer to the blender.
  3. Break the cobs into 3 pieces each. Place the pieces into a medium saucepan and add the whole milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Remove from heat, cover and let cool for 30 to 40 minutes.
  4. Remove the cobs from the milk. Transfer the milk to the blender with the corn. Blend until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
  5. While the blender is running wash and dry your saucepan. Whisk egg yolks, honey, and salt in the saucepan until well combined and the yolks lighten in color slightly. Gradually whisk your milk and corn mixture into your yolk mixture, then whisk in the cream. Heat over medium to medium-high heat, scraping bottom constantly with a heat-proof spatula (or wooden spoon) until mixture has thickened, and reaches 185º on an instant read thermometer.
  6. Pour the mixture through a mesh strainer, into a bowl. Use your spatula to scrape the corn solids back and forth in the strainer to extract as much liquid as possible. Place plastic wrap onto the surface of the ice cream base, and refrigerate until well chilled or overnight.
  7. Once chilled spin in your ice cream maker to about soft-serve consistency following the manufacturers instructions. Pour half of the ice cream into a container, top with about ½ of the blueberry-tarragon jam (recipe follows), then the rest of the ice cream, then the rest of the jam. Use a knife or narrow rubber spatula to swirl the jam through the ice cream, making sure not to over do it. Freeze until firm, at least several hours. Serve and enjoy!
  1. Blueberry-Tarragon Jam
  2. Combine the sugar, salt, half of the blueberries, apple, and lemon juice. Process until homogenous, scraping sides of bowl once.
  3. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Add the remaining blueberries. Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer, stirring frequently, until the blueberries have mostly broken down, and the mixture is dark purple and jammy in appearance, about 10 to 12 more minutes. Stir in the tarragon.
  4. Transfer to a 2 cup glass measure. You should have approximately 1 cup. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then stir in the Pernod. Cover and chill overnight.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Ali B
    Ali B
  • lorigoldsby
    lorigoldsby
  • Sagegreen
    Sagegreen
  • Midge
    Midge
  • wssmom
    wssmom
I am an amateur baker and cake decorator. I enjoy cooking, as well as eating and feeding others. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my husband and our menagerie. I enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, mushroom hunting, tide pooling, beach combing, and snowboarding.

29 Reviews

Ali B. June 20, 2012
I just made this with my very first ice cream maker. I LOVE it--especially how the combination sort of replicates an "a la mode" sensation as if I was having blueberry cobbler. I'm proud I was able to pull this off--I'm a novice cook so I wasn't sure, but it turned out!!!!
 
hardlikearmour June 21, 2012
I'm thrilled you tried it and had good success with your first batch of ice cream! You've made my day!
 
lorigoldsby August 11, 2011
Sounds wonderful, just trying to imagine it "a la mode" with one of your pies
 
hardlikearmour August 11, 2011
Thanks, lori! I think just plain corn ice cream would be great with blueberry pie.
 
Sagegreen August 9, 2011
Great summer flavors in such a unique combination!
 
hardlikearmour August 9, 2011
Thanks, SG! I'm on my 3rd batch of it at this point. Dangerous.
 
Midge August 9, 2011
YUM. This looks fantastic.
 
hardlikearmour August 9, 2011
Thanks, Midge! That means a lot coming from you.
 
wssmom August 7, 2011
You are amazing!
 
hardlikearmour August 7, 2011
awww.... Thanks, wssmom & the feeling is mutual.
 
EmilyC August 5, 2011
Wow, what a happy accident to have grabbed the tarragon instead of the lemon verbena! Love your recipe.
 
hardlikearmour August 5, 2011
Thanks, EmilyC. It was happy, indeed (though mildly embarrassing!)
 
aargersi August 5, 2011
You made it! Looks wonderful - worth the effort and iterations for sure!!!!
 
hardlikearmour August 5, 2011
thanks, aargersi!
 
mrslarkin August 5, 2011
i can has too scoops pleez? ;)
 
hardlikearmour August 5, 2011
of course!
 
gingerroot August 5, 2011
Absolutely gorgeous!! Wish I had a little bowl of it right now. Incidentally, I have little bowls and spoons just like yours...
 
bejugo August 5, 2011
Thanks, gingerroot! The bowl and spoon are disposable. I saved them the last time I got gelato, and this seemed like a perfect use for them.
 
hardlikearmour August 5, 2011
Oops! My husband was signed in.
 
gingerroot August 5, 2011
Lol! It is a perfect use for them. We saved ours from gelato at WF.
 
boulangere August 5, 2011
It's even more beautiful than I'd imagined. Oh, how wonderful!
 
hardlikearmour August 5, 2011
Thank you, boulangere! I'm excessively happy with the ice cream & the photo.
 
Larry W. August 5, 2011
Get that in my Belly!
 
hardlikearmour August 5, 2011
LOL... I don't think it would travel from Oregon to NY very well!
 
lapadia August 5, 2011
Awesome, HLA!!!!
 
hardlikearmour August 5, 2011
Thanks, lapadia! I managed to squeak it in at the last moment, and really couldn't be happier.
 
lapadia August 5, 2011
Ah yes, you did squeak this in just in time :)
 
hardlikearmour August 5, 2011
Thank you, TiggyBee. It was truly a labor of love for me.
 
TiggyBee August 5, 2011
Quadruple love this!!!