The I love corn book was a project I participated in a few years back. My friend Lisa Skye conceived it as a charity project to help children in grief over the loss of a loved one. Lisa lost her dad to a drunk driver while he was living his dream of traveling across the world on his motorcycle.
Lisa used this tragedy to inspire her to help others in the same situation. It was an honor to help out and all the people who created I love corn donated their services to raise money for her charity.
Please donate to the Dougy Center http://www.dougy.org/
This Recipe is, of course, best when corn is in season. Don’t throw out the cobs, they are just more corn goodness! You could substitute frozen corn or skip the cobs but canned corn is not recommended. The natural starch in corn acts as a thickener when heated, which makes the texture so silky and rich. Enjoy!
Allen Stafford, Casellula (NYC)
Ingredients
2 cups half and a half.
1 cup fresh corn cut from the cobs, including any juices.
2 corn cobs broken or cut into 2″ pieces.
1/2 cup turbinado sugar.
5 egg yolks.
2 tbsp. chestnut honey.
pinch of kosher salt
1/8 tbsp. cayenne powder.
Preparation (Serves 4-6)
In a saucepan, bring half and half, corn and cob to a boil. Remove from heat and let it infuse for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.
In a large bowl, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until yolks are pale yellow. Whisk in honey, salt and cayenne.
Remove cobs from mixture. With immersion blender or food processor, puree corn mixture.
Set the large bowl over simmering water and slowly drizzle corn mixture into yolk mixture, stirring constantly to make a corn custard. Continue to stir custard until it coats the back of the spoon, approx. 10 minutes.
Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the custard to avoid forming a skin. Cool custard in refrigerator overnight or at least 4 hours. If custard is warm it will not freeze properly.
Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove corn and any egg solids. Freeze in ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions.
For soft serve texture, eat immediately. Transfer to freezer safe container and freeze overnight for firmer ice cream. Garnish with chopped chocolate, fresh tomato or blueberries. Delicious with sweet corn muffins.
Allen’s recommendations: Don’t skip the cayenne! the natural stimulants in it raise and sensitize your taste buds, making you literally taste more.
I use chestnut honey to stabilize the sugar. You can use any honey but I like the complex flavor of chestnut honey. It also enriches the color a bit.
Photography and food styling Bill Brady http://bit.ly/9wFYxm
Recipe Provided by Allen Stafford, Casellula (NYC) from the I Love Corn book by Lisa Skye
Food Styling Dominick Guiliano