Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Basil--Day 30: Ice Cream Marathon

Well folks, this is it!


The grand finale of 30 ice cream recipes.

With a bright sunny summer day I can't think of a better way to capture the season than sweet corn ice cream with basil.


I've learned a lot over the last 30 days:


1. How important this blog is to me.


2. How to make ice cream with my eyes closed.


3. How great my readers are.


4. That you should always expect the unexpected.


The unexpected comes in the form of salted caramel sauce that just won't come together or a flavor that was an afterthought (mimosa sorbet) will go viral overnight.  All of it has been a great experience.

These past 30 days have been an absolute blast and I want to thank each and every one of you for reading and "freezing" right along with me.  I hope you've learned a little bit about me and had as much fun as I did.

I've set this entry to post exactly at 5:00pm.

At that time I'll be welcoming friends and family over for a finale party and will be sipping sangria, a mojito, or maybe even mimosa sorbet over champagne.


Wherever you are, enjoy the day!

{Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Basil}
Makes 1 Quart
Base adapted from Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams


Ingredients

• 3 ears of corn, schucked
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• 2 c. half & half
• 1 tsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/2 c. cream
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 tbsp. corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1. Grill the corn cobs in a grill pan for a few minutes on each side until you get some char marks.
  2. Cut the corn off the cobs.  Place the cobs in a large pot and the corn in saute pan with the butter and brown sugar.
  3. Cook the corn, butter, and brown sugar over medium heat until its bubbly and cooks down, 4-5 minutes.
  4. Combine 1/4 c. half & half with the cornstarch in a small bowl and set aside.  Place cream cheese in a small bowl and set aside.
  5. Add the remaining half & half, cream, sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla to the corn cobs.  Heat over medium heat until it simmers.
  6. Let simmer 4-5 minutes.  Stir in the cornstarch mixture and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened.  Remove the corn cobs and discard.
  7. Remove 1/2 c. of the warm liquid and whisk into the cream cheese.
  8. Add the cream cheese mixture back to the saucepan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
  9. Take a gallon size ziploc bag and line a bowl or food storage container with it.  This will help keep structure to the bag.  Pour the hot liquid into the bag and seal; trying to eliminate as much as from inside the bag as you can.
  10.  Remove the bag from the container and set in an ice bath for 20-30 minutes to chill the mixture.
  11. Once cooled, pour the ice cream base into your ice cream maker and process according to the manufacturer's instructions.
  12. Serve with snipped fresh basil on the scoops.