Berries are a sweet summer treat and they are also nutritional powerhouses full of fiber, vitamins and minerals, and antioxidants like anthocyanins, ellagic acid, and resveratrol that may help to prevent cancer. Berries are good for your heart and may be helpful in the prevention and treatment of obesity and diabetes.
This week’s recipe features black raspberries in a delicious ice cream recipe,
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating. ”
— Luciano Pavarotti.
Sweet Corn and Black Raspberry Ice Cream
Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams at Home, Jeni Britton Bauer (2011)
Notes
The corn gives the ice cream a buttery, slightly popcorn taste (along with the salt). The berries provide a sweet-tart complement. The final ice cream is the epitome of summer.
This recipe was written for the freezer-bowl type of ice cream maker that has a canister filled with a gel that must be frozen for at least 24 hours before ice cream is made. You can also make recipe with a self-cooling electric compressor ice cream maker (e.g., Cuisinart) that generates its own cold temperature.
Ingredients
- Ice Cream
- 1 ear sweet corn, husked and desilked
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 Tbsp + 1 teaspoon cornstarch (cornstarch adsorbs any remaining water that has not bound to proteins, starches, sugars, and fats, decreasing the chance for ice crystals and protecting the ice cream’s texture. Tapioca starch is actually preferred, but it is hard to find)
- 1½ ounces (3 Tbsp) cream cheese, softened (cream cheese, which is high in casein proteins, helps bind the ingredients and gives the ice cream body)
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1¼ cups heavy cream
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 1 Tbsp light corn syrup (adding corn syrup in place of some of the table sugar actually makes the ice cream less sweet)
- Black Raspberry Sauce
- 2 cups raspberries, black raspberries, and/or blackberries (if you can’t find black raspberries, you can use half raspberries and half blackberries)
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Ice Cream
- Slice the kernels from the corn cob, then “milk” the cob by scraping it with the back of a knife to extract the liquid; reserve kernels and liquid.
- Mix about 2 Tbsp of the milk with cornstarch in a small bowl to make a smooth slurry.
- Whisk the cream cheese and salt in a medium bowl until smooth. Fill a large bowl with ice and water.
- Combine the remaining milk, cream, sugar, corn and juices, and corn syrup in a 4-quart saucepan, bring to a rolling boil over medium-high heat, and boil for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and force the mixture through a sieve into a bowl, leaving corn “cases” behind. Return the mixture to the saucepan and gradually whisk in the cornstarch slurry. Bring back to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring with a heatproof spatula, until slightly thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
- Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the cream cheese until smooth. Pour the mixture into a 1-gallon Ziplock freezer bag and submerge the sealed bag in the ice bath. Let stand, adding more ice as necessary until cold, about 30 minutes.
- Cut a corner off the Ziplock bag, pour the ice cream base into a frozen ice cream canister, and spin until thick and creamy. Pack the ice cream into a storage container, alternating it with layers of the black raspberry sauce and ending with a spoonful of sauce; do not mix. Press a sheet of parchment paper directly against the surface and seal with an airtight lid. Freeze in the coldest part of the freezer until firm, at least 4 hours.
- Black Raspberry Sauce
- Combine the berries and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Continue boiling, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 220°F, about 5–8 minutes. Let cool slightly, then force through a sieve to remove seeds. Refrigerate until cold before using.