Whenever I think of a corn dessert, almost immediately my mind wants to pair it with some kind of berry. Corn is sweet and usually lends itself to creamy, buttery textures. Whereas with a berry, it will be sweet and tart. So the two make for a perfect contrast. Usually my default is pairing corn with strawberries, and that was exactly where I went with this recipe too! I figured that roasted strawberries in the form of a jam with a sweet corn ice cream, it would be such a pleasant combination. And to take it a step further, I made fluffy corn cookies, studded with Strawberry Inspiration(strawberry-flavored chocolate, essentially). I will say, there is something magical about roasting fruit with sugar, where the inherent flavor of the fruit is really brought out, while heating it in the oven results in this almost jammy texture. That added a wonderful contrast to the creamy corn ice cream and the fluffy strawberry-corn cookies to make for a summery ice cream sandwich! I will say that I might have been a lot too steadfast in putting this recipe together(the poor ice cream sandwiches started melting really quickly due to the lukewarm cookies), but rest assured, the contrast of strawberry and corn, especially when the cookies are at the right temperature, is a memorable(in a good way) combination to try in any dessert!

Makes 6 ice cream sandwiches:
For the roasted strawberry jam:
1 cup fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste
a pinch of salt
1 tbsp olive oil

Toss the ingredients together and place in a nonstick pan. Roast at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes. Afterwards, stir the fruit until combined into a homogenous jam. Allow the jam to cool before folding into the ice cream.

For the corn ice cream:
1 ear yellow sweet corn
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla bean paste

Shuck the corn and remove the kernels. Steep the corn cob and kernels in the cream and milk on low heat for 15 minutes. Then remove the cob and scrape the sides, re-adding that substance to the milk mixture. In another bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, and vanilla and pour over that half of the corn milk. Then pour everything back into the pot and whisk on medium heat for 5 minutes. Then using an immersion blender, puree the kernels into the milk until smooth. Allow the ice cream base to fully cool before churning in the ice cream maker then folding in the cooled down jam. Freeze the ice cream for at least an hour before attempting to use.

For the corn and strawberry cookies:
1 stick unsalted butter, browned
1 cup dark brown sugar
a pinch of salt
1/4 tsp vanilla bean paste
1 egg
1 cup Japanese corn powder
2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup chopped Strawberry Inspiration

In a bowl, combine brown butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, and an egg. Fold into that the corn powder, flour, baking powder, and baking soda to form a dough. Then fold into that the Strawberry Inspiration. Scoop the dough into 2 tbsp-sized balls and place them on a lined sheet tray, spacing them 2 inches apart. Bake at 375 degrees F for 12-15 minutes. Allow your cookies to fully cool before attempting to sandwich 3 tbsp of the ice cream between two cookies.