Grilled Corn Ice Cream

The first and only time I ever had grilled corn ice cream was during my last trip to San Francisco, which was the summer of 2010.  We were at the largest farmer's market I've ever been to: The Marin Civic Center Farmer's Market in San Rafael . 

Since then I've been looking for a good farmer's market, similar to the Marin Civic Center Farmer's Market's enormity, in the Chicagoland area.   Nothing compared to that market I visited years ago, but the best I've found around my area is the Green City Market in Lincoln Park.  And it's a year-round market too, which is unusual for farmer's markets around here.  Anyone in the area should definitely check it out!  

But besides the experience of the farmer's market in San Rafael,  there was one more thing that had stuck with me until this very day.  It was the taste of grilled corn ice cream that I had sampled from one of the many vendors there.  And, trust me, it had to be really good for me to remember it and want to recreate it, all based on one tiny ice cream taster spoon sample!  

Since I received my ice cream maker, this is one of the recipes that I've wanted to try out... so here it is! 

Grilled Corn Ice Cream
yields about 1 quart

Ingredients
2 ears of corn
1 cup of sugar
7 egg yolks
1 & 1/2 cups of half & half
1 cup of heavy cream
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt


Directions

1.  Preheat your grill to medium heat. Place both ears of corn, with the husks intact, on the grill.  Grill them for 15 minutes, flipping them once halfway through the cooking time.

2.  Let the ears of corn cool slightly.  Then take the husks and silk off of the corn, and cut the kernels off the cob.  Set aside both the kernels and the cobs.

3.  Place the half & half, corn kernels, and the cobs in a medium sauce pan, and bring it to a simmer.  Make sure to stir occasionally.  While that is coming to a simmer, beat the sugar, salt, and egg yolks in a large bowl, and set it aside.

4.  Once the half & half mixture has simmered, remove it from heat.  Discard of the cobs.  Then place the half & half and kernels in a food processor, and blend until smooth.

5.  Then slowly beat the half & half mixture into the egg mixture that was set aside previously. 

6.  Once beaten, pour the mixture back into the medium sauce pan over low heat.  Stir until the consistency thickens, and make sure to stir constantly so that the eggs do not scramble.  Once this mixture thickens, remove from heat, and pour through a fine strainer into a clean bowl.

7.  Allow the mixture to cool slightly.  Then add the heavy cream and vanilla to the mixture, and stir until combined.

8.  Place the mixture in the refrigerator until cold, and then follow your ice cream maker's instructions for churning your ice cream.

9.  Freeze, eat, and enjoy!