Summer officially begins for me when dinner consists entirely of fresh produce from the garden, and the warm evenings are spent on the porch, savoring dessert before it melts. While my garden is full of many delights, one crop stands just a little taller: sweet corn.
I love enjoying sweet corn in various ways—whether it’s on the cob, grilled to perfection, or tossed into a fresh salad, its bright kernels embody the essence of sunny days and family time. Growing up, our garden always had a generous patch of sweet corn, providing plenty to share with friends and neighbors. Fast forward to today, and I’ve married into a family that takes sweet corn to a whole new level. 
The Tietje family, along with extended family and friends, dedicates several days each summer to processing the annual sweet corn harvest. Most of the cobs are shucked, cut, cooked, cooled, bagged, shared, and later frozen to enjoy during the months when fresh corn is scarce.
As a child, my two favorite foods were sweet corn and ice cream. Summers were often spent visiting various ice cream shops around central Ohio, sometimes indulging in the cold treat multiple times a day. During college, I spent a few summers working at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams in Columbus, Ohio—getting paid to make and serve ice cream was a dream job! When my husband Ryan and I got married, we chose to share an ice cream cone instead of a traditional cake. To this day, our freezer is never without some form of ice cream. You could say I’m a bit obsessed.
It was while working in the kitchen at Jeni’s that I discovered the delightful combination of my two favorite foods. One of the flavors we created was Sweet Corn and Black Raspberry ice cream, a delicious tribute to summer in Ohio and a perfect blend of my beloved sweet corn and ice cream. Since then, I’ve been making this special flavor at home, bringing back wonderful memories with every bite.
Here’s the Sweet Corn and Blackberry Ice Cream recipe, inspired by my time at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams:
Ingredients:
- 4 ears of fresh sweet corn
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- Optional: 1 cup fresh blackberries, ½ cup of brown sugar, 3 tbsp. water
Tools You’ll Need:
- A heavy-bottomed saucepan
- A mixing bowl
- A whisk
- A fine-mesh sieve
- An ice cream maker
- Small saucepan
- Optional – blender
Step-by-Step Guide:
1. Prepare the Corn:
Start by shucking the corn and removing the kernels from the cobs. You can do this by holding the cob upright in a large bowl and carefully slicing downward with a sharp knife.
Make sure to scrape off any remaining bits of corn and the corn milk, as this adds extra flavor to your ice cream base.
2. Infuse the Cream:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the corn kernels, cobs, heavy cream, and milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Once it reaches a simmer, remove it from the heat, cover, and let it steep for about an hour. This process allows the corn flavor to infuse into the cream, creating a rich and unique base for your ice cream.
3. Make the Custard:
After steeping, remove the cobs and discard them. Blend the corn and cream mixture until smooth, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any solid bits.
This step ensures a silky texture for your ice cream. You can also skip the blending step, and just strain the corn out of the cream mixture if you would like a “lighter” flavor of corn.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they become pale and fluffy.
This should take about 3-4 minutes. Gradually add the corn-infused cream mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan.
4. Cook the Custard:
Cook the custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not be in a rush and up the heat. Be patient and keep stirring until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of your spoon. This process, known as nappe, indicates that the custard is ready. It should reach around 170°F to 175°F. Be careful not to let it boil, as this can cause the custard to curdle.
5. Chill the Custard:
Once thickened, remove the custard from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Pour it through the sieve again, if necessary, to ensure smoothness. Let the custard cool to room temperature, then cover it and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. This chilling step is crucial for achieving the right texture when churning the ice cream.
6. Churn the Ice Cream:
After the custard has thoroughly chilled, it’s time to churn it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
7. Prepare the Blackberry Sauce:
If you are wanting to add in the blackberry sauce into your ice cream, add the blackberries, brown sugar and water to a small sauce pot and heat over medium. Stirring occasionally to make sure the fruit doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
When the mixture is broken down and thick, remove from the heat and cool. You can choose to blend or strain this mixture for a smoother consistency as well.
8. Freeze and Serve:
Once the blackberry sauce has cooled, and your ice cream is finish churning, layer the ice cream and blackberry sauce together into an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours, or until it reaches your desired consistency.
When ready to serve, scoop it into bowls or cones and enjoy the delightful fusion of sweet corn and summer berries.
Enjoy this sweet taste of summer, and may it bring as much joy to your family as it does to ours.
–Caitlyn Tietje & Family
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Sweet Corn Ice Cream with Blackberries
Tools You’ll Need:
- A heavy-bottomed saucepan
- A mixing bowl
- A whisk
- A fine-mesh sieve
- An ice cream maker
- Small saucepan
- Optional – blender
Ingredients
- 4 ears of fresh sweet corn
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 8 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of salt
- Optional: 1 cup fresh blackberries, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 3 tbsp. water
Instructions
- Prepare the Corn:
Start by shucking the corn and removing the kernels from the cobs. You can do this by holding the cob upright in a large bowl and carefully slicing downward with a sharp knife. Make sure to scrape off any remaining bits of corn and the corn milk, as this adds extra flavor to your ice cream base.
- Infuse the Cream:
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the corn kernels, cobs, heavy cream, and milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Once it reaches a simmer, remove it from the heat, cover, and let it steep for about an hour. This process allows the corn flavor to infuse into the cream, creating a rich and unique base for your ice cream.
- Make the Custard:
After steeping, remove the cobs and discard them. Blend the corn and cream mixture until smooth, then strain it through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any solid bits. This step ensures a silky texture for your ice cream. You can also skip the blending step, and just strain the corn out of the cream mixture if you would like a “lighter” flavor of corn.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until they become pale and fluffy. This should take about 3-4 minutes. Gradually add the corn-infused cream mixture to the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from curdling. Pour this mixture back into the saucepan.
- Cook the Custard:
Cook the custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon or spatula. Do not be in a rush and up the heat. Be patient and keep stirring until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of your spoon. This process, known as nappe, indicates that the custard is ready. It should reach around 170°F to 175°F. Be careful not to let it boil, as this can cause the custard to curdle.
- Chill the Custard:
Once thickened, remove the custard from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. Pour it through the sieve again, if necessary, to ensure smoothness. Let the custard cool to room temperature, then cover it and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. This chilling step is crucial for achieving the right texture when churning the ice cream.
- Churn the Ice Cream:
After the custard has thoroughly chilled, it’s time to churn it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Prepare the blackberry sauce:
If you are wanting to add in the blackberry sauce into your ice cream, add the blackberries, brown sugar and water to a small sauce pot and heat over medium. Stirring occasionally to make sure the fruit doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. When the mixture is broken down and thick, remove from the heat and cool. You can choose to blend or strain this mixture for a smoother consistency as well.
- Freeze and Serve:
Once the blackberry sauce has cooled, and your ice cream is finish churning, layer the ice cream and blackberry sauce together into an airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours, or until it reaches your desired consistency. When ready to serve, scoop it into bowls or cones.
Notes
Recipe is inspired by my time at Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams.
Whoa- It’s a recipe for ice cream with Blackberries, but the title (in the section where the recipe and directions are given without the step by step photos) says ice cream with Black Raspberries. They are Not the same thing! Similar, but different. So please correct one or the other!
Great catch, Genevieve! After speaking with the author, it is Blackberries and the article has been updated.