Corn Ice Cream with Berry Crumble Swirl

1. Place a 9x5-inch loaf pan in a level spot in the freezer.

Make the berry swirl mixture:

1. Trim and cut 5 ounces fresh or frozen berries into similar-sized pieces (about 1 cup). Place in a small saucepan, add 3 tablespoons granulated sugar and a pinch of kosher salt, and stir to combine.

2. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, mashing the berries with the back of a fork as they soften. Reduce the heat to medium-low and continue to cook, stirring often and making sure to scrape down the sides, until thickened, jammy, and the mixture can hold a line for a few seconds if the spatula is dragged across the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat.

3. Finely grate the zest of 1/2 medium lemon until you have 1/4 teaspoon zest. Juice the lemon until you have 1 tablespoon juice. Add the zest and juice to the berries and stir to combine.

4. Fit a fine-mesh strainer over a liquid measuring cup or bowl. Strain the mixture, pressing the solids against the strainer with a rubber spatula and scraping underneath the strainer until you have between 1/4 and 1/3 cup. Refrigerate while you make the ice cream base.

Make the ice cream base:

1. If using fresh corn, shuck 6 to 8 ears corn and remove the silks. Cut the kernels off the cobs, cutting as close to the cobs as possible to get all the flavorful liquid out of them, until you have 5 cups. Otherwise, use 5 cups frozen corn kernels (do not thaw).

2. Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the corn kernels and any juices, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt. Stir with a rubber spatula until the corn is coated in the butter. Cover and cook until the kernels are fragrant and tender, stirring halfway through, about 7 minutes total.

3. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Add 1/4 cup of the cold heavy cream and process into a purée with a texture similar to applesauce, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, about 1 minute.

4. Fit a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Working in batches if needed, pour the corn purée into the strainer and use a rubber spatula to really press it through, making sure to scrape underneath the strainer until you have 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cups purée. This will take some time and a little bit of elbow grease. Refrigerate until cooled to room temperature, 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, finely chop about 3 to 4 ounces shortbread cookies into rough 1/4-inch pieces until you have 1 cup.

5. Add 1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt to the corn purée and stir until combined.

6. Pour the remaining 1 3/4 cups cold heavy cream into a medium bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until stiff peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not over whip. (Alternatively, whip by hand with a whisk or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium speed.)

7. Add half of the whipped cream to the corn mixture. Gently but quickly fold together until combined, a few streaks of the corn mixture or whipped cream are okay. Add the remaining whipped cream and fold until just combined with no streaks remaining. Add the shortbread cookies and fold until evenly distributed.

8. Spoon 1/2 of the ice cream base into the loaf pan and spread into an even layer. Drop 1/2 of the berry mixture by the teaspoonful over the corn mixture, it should look like polka dots. Use a skewer or the tip of a small offset spatula to swirl the berry mixture through the corn mixture. Spoon the remaining ice cream base into the pan and repeat dropping in the remaining berry mixture and swirling.

9. Freeze uncovered until the top is solid, about 2 hours. Place a sheet of wax or parchment paper directly onto the surface of the ice cream. Freeze until the ice cream is solid, but scoopable, about 4 hours more.