The first batch of sweet summer corn landed from points south this week with bulging sacks of the stuff for a quarter an ear at the Megamarket. After such a long journey from distant foreign fields it’s nowhere near as sweet as the ears we’ll pluck locally in just a few short weeks but I couldn’t resist a few test cobs to refresh my recipe memory. When the season hits full stride it will be ten for a buck straight from the local farmer’s field and that means I’ll be looking for menu inspiration beyond my standby charcoal-grilled-on-the-cob with obscene amounts of butter, sea salt, and lime.
While it might be possible to make these dishes using tinned or frozen corn, I have never tried and I certainly wouldn’t recommend it. The point of feasting in high season is that you can try all manner of new culinary experiments on the cheap with the best quality ingredients so in turn they’ll have the best chance of success. Save the cream of the crop for next year while hiding the failures at the bottom of the recipe box. Here’s three different well-tested ideas from various corners of the globe that I know will work perfectly with your local field of yellow corny dreams.
Edit: Because of a small technical malfunction… Most of my missing photos have been fixed – it was a corny weekend and I got a lot done in the kitchen. I’ll leave the photo links from the around the web below for reference. And because they all look like decent recipes too.
Corn Souffle from Jacques Pepin (although his are ‘individual’ serving size)
Esquites from LA Weekly
Indian Pudding from Saveur
Fresh Corn Soufflé
One of the more forgiving soufflés out there, corn, cream, and cheese rarely goes wrong. The goal as with all soufflés is to get a light and airy texture so be sure to choose your oven dish wisely to support that effort as the eggs expand during baking. Even if it manages to collapse (usually from over baking), it still tastes great. Just call it fresh corn pudding at that point and your dinner guests will never know.
1 tablespoon butter, softened
6 ears fresh sweet corn
235ml (1 cup) half or full cream, 18% or more butterfat
3 large eggs from happy chickens
1 teaspoon fine sea salt (adjusted to taste depending on cheese used)
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (i.e. the fluffy stuff from a micro plane, not the dense pre-ground junk)
4 teaspoons corn starch or flour
60g (~2/3 cup) shredded Gruyere -or- 20g (1/3 cup) freshly grated Parmesan *
* Swiss, Romano, or any similar type you have to hand can be substituted easily if you account for varying salt levels. Or use a mix of leftover ends of several varieties as this is a good place to use them up. Avoid particularly oily examples, e.g. cheap cheddar, as a majority in the blend and don’t go overboard with the amount lest your corn soufflé start to taste like a cheese soufflé. Unless you’re in a mood for a soufflé buffet. In that case make two.
Yield: Serves four to six as a side dish
Preheat oven to 190C (375F). Prepare an oven safe two-quart gratin or similar dish by coating with butter, being sure to cover sides as well as bottom completely. Any oven-proof dish of roughly 10 inch by 10 inch dimensions will do as long as the sides are at least three inches tall. Shape is less important than having adequate depth. Set aside.
Cut the kernels from the corn by running a knife at an angle lengthwise along the cob following the contour as closely as possible. Conserve any liquid that is exuded and place all into a blender. Add the remaining ingredients except cheese and blend thoroughly until smooth, roughly two minutes on maximum speed. Stir in cheese by hand and pour into prepared dish. Place on a baking sheet to prevent spills and bake on the centre rack for 30-45 minutes just until it begins to set and the volume has almost doubled. If desired, a few minutes of broiling at the end can add more colour to the top but watch constantly so as not to scorch. Allow to cool at least fifteen minutes and serve warm. Preferably at a dinner table next to the corn field.
Mexican Street Corn On or Off the Cob (aka Elotes & Esquites)
Whether you want it on or off the cob, this is the wildly popular and incredibly delicious ‘street corn’ found at countless open stalls in Mexico City or indeed across the whole of corn-laden Mexico everywhere from home kitchens to dusty cantinas to upscale restaurants. Regional differences are plentiful but left on the cob it’s known as elotes. Charcoal roasted and usually slathered with some combination of mayo, chile, lime juice, and cotija cheese, you’re on your way down the street with the husks folded back into a handle. Use your knife on the kernels and it becomes esquites which opens the door on even more interesting additions. While I often roast the portable version myself, I tend to prefer those same flavours taken off the cob with my own added spin from the garden of fresh sweet onion and tomatoes in the mix.
Find the Elotes (ON the cob) Over Charcoal recipe and video in this later post
In either case I’ve found that my homemade mayonnaise is drastically better than even the best store-bought brands but use them in a pinch if you must. I think it’s the fresher lemon character of my own that really makes this recipe work well and I can slip in some extra interesting bits like cilantro or chipotle to work their magic on the mayo ahead of time if I’m in the mood.
Note: Charcoal grilling is *greatly* preferred for this and I daresay a requirement if you don’t want to hang your head in shame under the glare of disgruntled dinner guests from Guadalajara. And I said charcoal, not propane. A mesh grilling basket can be very useful for roasting the chiles and garlic lest they fall into the flames in a fit of self-sacrifice to the fire pit gods.
Esquites (OFF The Cob) With Garden Extras
5 tablespoons homemade mayonnaise*
4 tablespoons Mexican crema (substitute quality sour cream or plain yogurt if unavailable)
1 tablespoon dried pure chile flakes, any variety and heat level but not blended chili powder
6 ears freshly picked sweet corn
1 large sweet onion, e.g. Vidalia or Walla Walla, halved with root and skin intact
1 – 3 whole fresh chiles or bell peppers, any mix of varieties or heat you wish
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, adjusted to taste as needed
Juice of one lime
30 grams fresh cotija cheese, crumbled (or substitute quality feta) – optional
Optional Garden Extras:
1 large and ripe garden tomato, seeded & diced (avoid grocery tomatoes here for best flavour)
fresh coriander leaf (aka cilantro) to taste, chopped fine
* If you simply must use ready-made mayo, ‘loosen’ it with two teaspoons of fresh lemon juice or water first. But really, if you have a lemon, an egg, and some oil, why not make your own from scratch?
Yield: Serves four to six as a side dish
Mix the mayonnaise with the sour cream and dried chile flake and set aside for a few minutes as you clean the corn of husks and silk under cold running water. If using a grill, it can be helpful to leave the husks attached but ‘peeled back’ into a handle to aid in turning them over the fire. Of course a long handled kitchen tongs work well too if you’re not aiming for caveman cooking technique.
Roast the corn ears over open charcoal flames (much preferred) or under a broiler until lightly charred on all sides. Brush on all sides with six tablespoons of the mayonnaise mix and continue to roast turning often until the mayo is set, about three minutes longer. Cut the kernels from the cob by carefully running a knife at an angle along the length. Using the same heat, char the onion, chiles, and garlic then clean of any peels, stems, or seeds. Chop the onions and chiles coarsely and finely mince the garlic combining all in a large bowl with the corn.
Toss with the remaining three tablespoons of mayo mix and the rest of the fresh ingredients just before serving as a side dish or if the fire is still hot, try it on top of fresh grilled tacos of any make as a condiment.
Bonus Recipe: As incredibly delicious as charcoal-roasted corn flavour can be, you can also make a ‘fresh corn salad’ (pictured at top) with nearly the same list of ingredients on the stove top. In that case, omit the mayonnaise, sour cream, and chile flakes used during roasting above as well as the finishing cheese. Cut the kernels from the cob as you roast the onions, chiles, and garlic (peeled, cleaned & cut as needed) in a dry pan for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Add the corn and a scant tablespoon of oil and continue to toss constantly just until the corn is warmed through, about two minutes. Remove to a large bowl and mix in a tablespoon of homemade mayo or sour cream with the remaining fresh ingredients to hint at the flavours of the roasted original if you prefer but remember this ultra-fresh approach is best done with corn picked within hours. Be particularly mindful not to overcook the fresh taste out of the mix.
“Indian Pudding” Baked in a Pot
I first discovered sweet corn “Indian puddings” by trying cornmeal-based recipes that are baked slowly with deep, sweet flavours incorporated as a sort of deliciously dense dessert polenta. They contrast greatly with the much lighter and fresher soufflé cousins that inhabit the side dish world (like the example above) as if the molasses wasn’t enough of a clue. It then dawned on me that I could incorporate fresh sweet corn pulsed in the food processor to get an interesting midpoint between these two extremes. My original inspiration came decades ago from Elizabeth Rozen’s fine work, “Blue Corn & Chocolate” (1992, Knopf), but has since morphed into what you see below after countless tweaks and tests, each of which was delicious since it’s really hard to make fresh corn taste bad with enough cream and sugar stirred in. I’ve even made this outside in a wood-fired oven after the main event cooking is done and the temperature is cooling on a gentle slope downwards for several hours.
4 ears fresh sweet corn, cleaned of husks and silk
480 ml (2 cups) milk, whole fat preferred
240 ml (1 cup) half cream ~18% butterfat
150 grams (1 cup) cornmeal, medium (ordinary) grind
2 large eggs from happy chickens
135 grams (2/3 cups) white sugar
80 ml (1/3 cup) molasses
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, optional
Yield: Serves four to six as a dessert
Preheat oven to 175C (350F).
Cut the kernels from the corn over a large mixing bowl to conserve any liquid. Place 3/4 of the cut corn in a blender or food processor and process to smooth before returning all to the unprocessed corn. Use the milk to rinse any residual corn from your equipment and add it to the mix along with the cream and cornmeal. Mix well and microwave on high power for thirty to sixty seconds to warm slightly and set aside for several minutes until cooled.
Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a separate bowl and then fold into the corn mixture. Pour into a covered cast iron pot or similar, sized to achieve at least three inches of depth. Place foil over the pot to form a good seal between the lid. Bake for 50 minutes then test the consistency of the pudding at the centre every ten minutes until it just barely begins to set, anywhere from ten to forty minutes longer depending on your oven and pot configuration. When removed from the oven, the heat of the heavy pot will cook the pudding to completion as you allow it to rest for at least an hour afterwards.
Serve warm as is. Or with fresh blueberries on top. Perhaps with a salted caramel sauce if you’re feeling luxurious. Or chill completely and add a splash of cream and some other fresh fruit of opportunity. If there’s great quality vanilla ice cream on hand, all the better.
