Hi Guys! We’re ending our week with sweet corn ice cream, but don’t worry because we’re not done with frozen treats quite yet. We still have some pretty awesome things on the horizon so stay tuned! Anyway, I had sweet corn ice cream for the first time about 12 years ago in Italy. I was on a Europe trip with my family and my dad and I were pretty much hitting up all the gelato shops we passed….we called it “gelato hopping” because we’re gluttonous-nerds. While I don’t have a huge sweet tooth, when it comes to gelato in Italy (and doughnuts of course) all bets are off. I probably gained 10 pounds on gelato alone that trip. :)
Anyway, I loved that all the shops had such amazing flavors that were so new to me at the time: honey-lavender, caramelized white chocolate, roasted pineapple and coconut cream, etc. My favorite by far was the sweet corn flavor. I love corn, but thought eating it in gelato form would be kind of weird. I was dead wrong. It was one of the most delicious things I ate that entire trip (and we traveled to 12 different countries, so I feel like that’s saying a lot!). The sweet corn was totally dominating the light vanilla flavor and it was awesome. One particular shop we went into was stuffing their gelato into sweet rolls so of course we were curious and had to try it out. This immediately became my favorite way to eat gelato/ice cream/custard…sorry cones, you guys are now a close second. What I love about eating it this way is that the rolls themselves are light and slightly sweet so it’s still mainly about the ice cream. The best part though is that the melty ice cream gets sopped up by the bun creating sort of this semi-soggy and oober delicious ice cream burger…messy but so freakin’ good!
As we start to get into the warmest time of the summer I think stocking up on frozen treats is a must. My freezer is currently stocked with homemade ice cream and frozen custard….well that and Otter Pops, because I mean c’mon, Otter Pops are awesome. Enjoy! xx, Jenny
Here are some other ice cream recipes you might like:
Sweet Corn Ice Cream
INGREDIENTS
- 3 ears yellow corn, kernels removed from cobs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup superfine sugar, divided
- 6 egg yolks
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 16 Hawaiian rolls or sweet rolls of choice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Place corn kernels (and any excess corn milk), cobs, cream, milk, and half of sugar in a saucepan and simmer until sugar dissolves, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and allow mixture to steep for 1 hour.
- Remove cobs, pour mixture into a blender and puree. Strain mixture through a fine sieve and pour back into the saucepan. Heat mixture until scalding.
- Place remaining sugar, yolks and salt into a mixing bowl and whisk together until light and fluffy.
- Once cream mixture is scalding, add 1 cup to yolk mixture, whisking to prevent the mixture from scrambling.
- Add tempered yolk mixture to saucepan and whisk together. Allow mixture to scald until mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Strain ice cream through a cheesecloth lined sieve into a mixing bowl. Place bowl into an ice bath and stir in vanilla extract.
- Allow mixture to sit until room temperature. Cover ice cream and chill in the refrigerator for 8 to 12 hours (overnight).
- Freeze ice cream according to your machine’s manufacturer’s instructions.
- Scoop ice cream into split Hawaiian rolls and serve immediately.
NOTES
- *Makes 2 quarts
Did you make this recipe? We want to see!
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Superb recipe! I tried it and LOVED it, and now I’m making it again!!! Great recipe and great instructions. Thank you!
I live in western Colorado, just down the road from Olathe. Known for some of the best sweet corn in the country. I’m definitely trying this recipe come harvest time! Thanks.
In addition to my previous comment, I also topped it with momofuku cornflake crunch, based on the suggestion of a previous commenter. Totally recommend the same. The crunch and saltiness of the cornflakes totally complimented the creamy sweet custard. Totally awesome.
Thanks for the recipe. The only time I’ve ever tried sweet corn ice cream was about a decade ago when it was sold at Whole Foods. I haven’t seen it since. When I saw this recipe, I had to make it right away (and it helps that sweet corn is in season). It came out fabulous. I would call this a sweet corn frozen custard, however, since the custard profile pushes through. It is smooth and creamy with a noticeable (a little stronger than subtle) sweet corn flavor. It tastes delicious. Will make again.
I am wondering if I add milk to fill line after putting in freezer container
does anyone think this stuff sounds really gross?? corn in ice cream on bread…..idk think i will try it tho cuz so many of you are saying it is good
Lol! I promise you they’re good!
i’m not gonna lie – i landed here because my daughter and i suddenly remembered a time long ago when we made sweet corn ice cream and immediately were desperately craving it and did a search… and landing here (and i’m now in love with your blog, btw!) i admit i’m dubious about the whole ice-cream-on-soft-bread idea… but i’m always willing, on a “gonna be really bad day,” to try something crazy (black pepper creme fraiche ice cream with vanilla bean caramel, salted pumpkin seeds, caramelized plums, and black pepper at molly moon’s in seattle?!) so we might just DO IT! thanks so much for posting. :)
Black pepper creme fraiche ice cream sounds amazing too! Do you have a link to a recipe? I think that would complement the sweet corn ice cream so well! I love mixing sweet and savory.
My mind is blown! I first thought it was a large amount of butter but now that I read it is ice cream…mind blown! I’ve always wanted to give corn ice cream a try. Gelato hopping sounds like my kind of thang. PS. Otter pops FTW!
Love that ice cream scoop!
Someone gave me three ears of corn after a picnic last night and I was debating what to do with them…too many choices…UNTIL I opened my email and saw this post. The corn is steeping as I write. Thanks in advance. (P.S. Any excuse to eat a Hawaiian roll!)
Have never seen ice cream served like this before! I’m surprised it isn’t more popular as it looks delicious!
The Philippines actually has sweet corn flavoured street ice cream too! We also have a penchant for stuffing it into our bread called pan de sal. Nice to know we have similar food consumption practices even if we’re continents away from Italy! :)
Ugh, is there anything better than eating ice cream out of a sweet roll? Hazelnut gelato inside brioche is like my favourite thing in the world. But now I have to try this.
wow i’ve never seen this before- but i love this idea of the soft roll soaking up all that ice cream!! xx
This sounds so delicious , I want to pair it w/ momofuko corn cookies
Now I do too!
I love the idea of sweet corn ice cream and the flavor of Hawaiian dinner rolls seems like the perfect compliment, but I have to admit that I’m a bit skeptical. Won’t the bread get all soggy and mushy?
Not if you scarf it down fast enough! :) Sounds yummy!
And what if you grilled the buns just a bit?
I’m so intrigued by this recipe! Gotta try it! Looks delicious!
The rolls are amazing! So different, but so good!!
You nailed it by using the rolls, super smart thinking! Sounds delicious btw :)
I never would have thought of using dinner rolls for ice cream sandwiches, but it makes perfect sense! That way the ice cream doesn’t squish out all over your face when eating it. :P Yum!
Those white dinner rolls are the PERFECT ‘holder’ for the creamy smooth ice cream, which sounds scrumptious! Pinned!
This looks amazing! I’ve been wanting to try sweet corn ice cream, and LOVE the idea of an ice cream burger. As soon as I finish my whole30 I’m all over this…