1. Prep and Purée the Corn

Lay your corn ears flat on a cutting board, slice off one strip of kernels to create a flat edge, and rotate it. Slice the rest of the kernels off cleanly. Toss them into a blender and blend until completely smooth. Cut the bare cobs in half with a heavy knife and set aside.

2. Infuse the Dairy

In a small saucepan, combine the whole milk, heavy cream, the fresh corn purée, the halved cobs, and half of the sugar. Heat over medium-high until hot and steaming with small bubbles at the edges. Do not let it boil. Turn off the heat, cover with a tight lid, and let it steep for 30 minutes.

3. Build the Egg Base

Remove the cobs with tongs and set them on a clean plate. Bring the dairy mix back up to a steam on the stove. In a separate bowl, vigorously whisk the 5 egg yolks, the remaining sugar, and the salt until pale yellow and thick.

4. Temper and Cook the Custard

Slowly drizzle a small ladle of the hot dairy into the egg bowl while whisking constantly with your other hand. Repeat with a second ladle. Once the eggs are warm, pour the whole egg mix back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens enough to cleanly coat the back of a spoon.

5. Strain and Double-Steep

Take the pot off the heat. Pour the hot custard through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean bowl, pressing the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard the pulp. Stir in the vanilla extract, then submerge the cobs back into the warm custard to condition it.

6. Chill and Churn

Let the bowl cool to room temperature, then cover it and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours (overnight is best) until completely cold. Remove the cobs, scraping any cream back into the bowl. Churn in your ice cream machine for 20 to 25 minutes. Pack it into a container, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface, and freeze for 4 to 6 hours until firm.