Buttered Sweet Corn Ice Cream

This ice cream recipe carries a hint of corn, salt and butter. It’s perfect with blackberry syrup. For the best yellow color, seek out pastured eggs, which will have the most vibrant-colored yolks.

Makes about 3 cups

6 egg yolks

3⁄4 cup raw sugar (see note) 3⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt 1 1⁄2 cups whole milk 1 cup whipping cream

1⁄2 teaspoon butter flavor (I like Frontier brand, which contains actual butter) 2 corn cobs, kernels stripped, cut in half

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and salt.

In a 4 quart saucepan, warm milk and cream until the edges are just beginning to bubble, stirring frequently. Temper the eggs by slowly whisking in 1⁄2 cup of warm milk/cream. Pour tempered egg yolks slowly into the pan of warm milk/cream, whisking constantly. Cook mixture over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until thickened — this will happen just as it begins to simmer.

Remove from heat. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Stir in butter flavor.

With the back of a spoon, hold corn cobs over bowl and scrape down, releasing any corn milk into the ice cream batter. A few corn bits will get in there too, and that’s OK. Nestle the corn cobs in the mixture and let everything steep overnight in the refrigerator.

When ready to churn ice cream, remove corn cobs and follow ice cream maker’s instructions.

Note: I use raw sugar to add a hint of caramel flavor and to deepen the color of the ice cream. White granulated sugar may be substituted, but you will lose a little flavor and color.