Sweet corn ice cream is one of those flavours that sounds unexpected until you taste it. Roasting the corn brings out its natural sweetness, while the cobs and husks are gently infused into the milk and cream for an even deeper corn flavour. Inspired by the tradition of sweet corn desserts found throughout Asia, it’s a simple yet wonderfully unexpected way to enjoy the season’s sweetest corn. The result is silky, creamy and surprisingly delicate — especially with a little flaky salt and caramelized corn on top.
Yield: 1 Ninja Creami pint (approximately 470–480 g finished base)
3 Ears Fresh Sweet Corn
370 G 2% Milk
70 G 35% Cream
35 G Granulated Sugar
25 G Glucose Powder
20 G Skim Milk Powder
35 G Egg Yolks
0.4 G CMC Powder
2 G Fine Sea Salt
¼ Vanilla Bean, Optional
Clean Inner Corn Husks, Optional
1 Ear Fresh Sweet Corn
75 G Granulated Sugar
Flaky Sea Salt
Roast the Corn
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
Remove the kernels from the three ears of corn, reserving the cobs. Spread the kernels over a baking sheet and roast for 20–25 minutes, stirring once or twice, until lightly golden and fragrant. You want the corn to become sweeter and slightly caramelized without becoming deeply browned.
Break the reserved cobs into smaller pieces.
Infuse the Milk
Combine the roasted corn, broken cobs, milk, cream and, if using, a few of the clean inner husks in a saucepan.
Heat gently to 176°F (80°C). Do not boil.
Cover and let the mixture steep for 45–60 minutes. Remove the cobs and husks.
Using an immersion blender, blend the roasted corn into the dairy until smooth. Pass through a fine sieve or chinois, pressing gently to extract as much flavour as possible.
Make the Ice Cream Base
In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, glucose powder, skim milk powder and CMC.
Warm the strained corn mixture and gradually whisk in the dry ingredients until completely dissolved.
Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Slowly temper them with some of the warm corn mixture, then return everything to the saucepan.
Cook gently, stirring constantly, until the custard reaches 180–183°F (82–84°C).
Remove from the heat and add the salt and vanilla, if using. Blend with an immersion blender for about 30 seconds to fully emulsify.
Cool and Freeze
Immediately cool the custard in an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until completely chilled.
Pour into a Ninja Creami pint, leaving a small amount of room below the maximum fill line.
Freeze for at least 24 hours.
Process on the Ice Cream setting. If the ice cream looks slightly crumbly after the first spin, add a tablespoon of milk and use the Re-Spin function.
Place the sugar in a clean, dry saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to melt without stirring, gently swirling the pan as needed, until the sugar becomes a light amber caramel.
Immediately remove from the heat and quickly fold in the roasted corn kernels. Be careful, as the caramel will be extremely hot.
Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread into a thin layer. Sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt.
Allow the brittle to cool completely and harden before breaking into shards.
For serving: Place a scoop of the roasted sweet corn ice cream in a bowl and finish with a shard of sweet corn brittle and a pinch of flaky sea salt.
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