Tangy plump blueberries and sweet tender corn (fresh from the cob) pair nicely in this creamy, dreamy ice cream. Inspired by David Lebovitz's Vanilla Ice Cream
Ingredients
1 large fresh* ear of corn
2 cups milk, divided
1 cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup + 3 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
½ of a vanilla bean, split lengthwise
4 egg yolks
⅔ cup fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon Limoncello (Adding alcohol to fruit keeps it from getting too hard when frozen, but you can use fresh lemon juice instead, if you prefer.)
Instructions
To make the base, cut corn from the cob and reserve 1 cup kernels and the cob. In a medium heavy saucepan, combine the corn, 1 cup milk, cream, salt and ¼ cup sugar. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and drop in the corn cob and vanilla bean. Cover, and infuse for 30-60 minutes.
Remove the cob and vanilla bean. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the milk mixture with a paring knife.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolks and ¼ cup sugar.
Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Position a fine mesh sieve over a medium bowl with a spout and place in the ice bath.
Pour milk mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour back into the saucepan. Rewarm it and whisk about ⅓ of it into the egg yolks. Put the yolks into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon.
Strain the custard through the sieve into the bowl with a pouring spout, pressing to separate the liquid from the corn solids. Add the remaining 1 cup milk and stir until chilled. Cover and refrigerate until very cold (overnight if possible).
To make the blueberry sauce, place blueberries, remaining 3 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch and Limoncello in a small heavy saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Refrigerate until ready to use.
When ice cream base has chilled, churn in ice cream maker, according to manufacturer’s instructions.
Layer the ice cream and blueberries in a sealed container, swirling the blueberry sauce into the ice cream, and freeze to bloom for at least 3 hours. Just before serving, remove from freezer and allow to rest 5-10 minutes before scooping into bowls.