Corn Ice Cream with Caramel Swirl Recipe

To Make the Caramel Sauce:

1. Heat the sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. The sugar will clump up slightly, but just keep stirring it a bit. It will eventually melt and become thick and amber-brown in color (about 5 to 7 minutes). Be careful not to burn it.
2. Once the sugar is completely melted and amber-brown, add the butter and whisk until incorporated. Be careful. The mixture will immediately bubble up after adding the butter and might even seem like it’s about to overflow the pan. Just keep whisking and it will quickly settle back down. If the sugar clumps up or the butter separates, remove from the heat and whisk vigorously. It will eventually come back together, then return to the heat. After the butter has melted and is combined with the sugar, cook for about 30 seconds without stirring.
3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and carefully and slowly add half of the cream, whisking constantly. The mixture will bubble up again. Just keep whisking and slowly add the remaining cream. Whisk until incorporated and smooth. Add the salt and vanilla and whisk to combine.
4. Pour the caramel in a bowl and cool completely to room temperature, about 2-4 hours, before adding it to the ice cream. After it is at room temperature, you can transfer it to an airtight container to store in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before using. Caramel will thicken as it cools.

To Make the Corn Ice Cream:

1. Slice the kernels from the cob with a knife and place them in a large saucepan.
2. Cut or break the cobs into thirds and add them to the pot with milk, cream, and 1/2 cup of sugar. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat and allow the mixture to sit for 10 minutes. Remove the cobs, and discard them. Puree the mixture in a blender until smooth. Return the blended mixture to the pot and allow it to sit covered for 1 hour.

 Uncover the pot and bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer for about 5 minutes and turn off the heat.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Add a cup of the hot cream mixture to the yolks while stirring vigorously to prevent the yolks from curdling. Next, stir in the yolk mixture into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and strain the mixture through a sieve pressing down on the solids. Strain the mixture once again through a fine sieve into a medium mixing bowl. Fill a larger bowl halfway with very icy water and nestle the medium bowl inside. Stir frequently until the mixture is cold. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
5. Cover and chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. When the ice cream is frozen, layer about a third of it into a container. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of caramel on top of the ice cream, then repeat again two more times. You will have leftover caramel.
6. Use a knife or chopsticks to swirl the ice cream. If you prefer softer ice cream, eat it right away or freeze for about 4 hours before serving.