There is something magical about the combination of blueberries and cornbread. This recipe puts a delicious spin on that classic pairing by incorporating a wonderful corn bread streusel for the cake and an even more incredible corn bread ice cream. This dessert was created by award-winning pastry chef Nicole Kaplan, formerly of Del Posto.
Reprinted with permission from I Love Corn by Lisa Skye (Andrews McMeel 2012).
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients:
- ******** STREUSEL ******
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ********* CAKE ******
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/4 cups cake flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon crème fraîche
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- ****** CORN BREAD STREUSEL *******
- 1/2 cup freeze-dried corn
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 teaspoon cake flour
- Pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- **** CORN BREAD ICE CREAM ********
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 4 cups whole milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup plus 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 10 large egg yolks
- 3/4 tablespoon salt
Preparation:
- Place the streusel ingredients in a food processor and grind to a rough powder. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F with a rack in the middle.
- With a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until soft and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk one at a time, mixing until incorporated. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and vanilla bean seeds. Alternating in three additions, add the combined dry ingredients and the crème fraîche, mixing just until each addition is incorporated.
- Layer half of the cake batter in an 8-inch square cake pan lined with parchment paper, or similar. Carefully spread the blueberries on top in a neat layer. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Bake until the cake springs back in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack. Once it is cooled completely, cut into squares.
- To serve, place a piece of the warm cake in the center of a plate. Place some Corn Bread Streusel around the cake. Top it with the warm blueberries and a scoop of corn bread ice cream. Serve immediately.
Corn Bread Streusel
- Preheat the oven to 200˚F with a rack in the middle.
- Place the corn, both flours, and the salt in a food processor and process until powdery. Drizzle in the butter and continue blending for about 1 minute. Transfer to a standard half sheet pan (18 by 13 inches) or similar. Bake until toasty but still light in color, 7 to 10 minutes. This streusel can be stored at room temperature for up to a week in an airtight container, or frozen for an extended period of time and then gently retoasted for a few minutes before using, to refresh the flavor.
Corn Bread Ice Cream
- Place the corn in a large pot over medium heat and heat it to evaporate any water from the freezer. Add the milk, cream, and ½ cup of the granulated sugar and bring to a boil.
- Place the remaining ¾ cup of sugar, the yolks, and salt in a medium-size bowl and whisk together. Gently temper the eggs by pouring the hot liquid into the bowl slowly, stirring occasionally.
- Blend the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Strain and let cool.
- Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to its manufacturer’s instructions.
More delicious blueberry recipes:
Molten Lemon Cake with Simmered Summer Blueberries
Clinton Street Baking Company's Famous Blueberry Pancakes
Roast Cornish Hen with Sauteed Blueberries and Garlic
