By James P. DeWan / Chicago Tribune
Your corn crib is busting at the seams, filled to the rafters, stuffed to the gills. What to make with all that corn?
First off, let’s be clear: It’s late summer. Fresh sweet corn is everywhere. So, for now, can we eschew the canned and frozen numbers?
On the cob: Here are four ways to make corn on the cob even more perfect.
1. Compound butter. Soften some butter, then mix in something flavorful: minced fresh herbs, garlic, anchovies, olives — you get the picture.
2. Olive oil. Mix it with other fresh ingredients (as above), or stir in a bit of something delicious like pesto or tapenade or cheese spread.
3. Mayonnaise. Spread it, then dust it with cheese. Mexican versions often use cotija, but you can use Parmesan or Romano. Try some cayenne or chile powder, too, or chopped cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
4. Cultured dairy. Use yogurt or sour cream like the mayo or just fold yummy things into it. Try crumbled feta, oregano and lemon juice, or mix in some cumin, garam masala and a bit of cayenne along with a splash of lime.
And salt. Don’t forget the salt.
You get the picture. If your corn is salted properly, the other ingredients will adhere to the mildly flavored white goo, turning your corn into a creamy, savory, well-seasoned ticket to paradise.
Still, perhaps you, being the cultured type, prefer not to eat with your hands. In that case, the first thing you’ll want to do is remove the kernels from the cob. It’s easy and messy:
1. Use your nonknife hand to stand a shucked ear on your cutting board or in a large bowl, like Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown. Starting halfway up, cut down along the cob with a chef’s knife, releasing the kernels onto the cutting board. After each cut, rotate the cob toward you and repeat until you’ve gone all the way around. Flip the corn over and repeat.
2. If you want to be really cool, do this: Use the back of the knife to scrape down the newly naked cob. This squeezes out any remaining pulp and liquid — some wags call this the “corn milk.” Add it to whatever you’re making with the corn.
Raw: Super sweet corn — it’s everywhere this time of year — you don’t even need to cook. Use it raw in salads or salsas or sprinkle it along with crumbled bacon on vanilla ice cream.
Soup and other liquids: First off, there’s corn stock. After removing the kernels, cover the cobs in water and simmer them for an hour-ish to extract the flavor. For deeper flavor, add aromatics like onion, carrot and celery, and herbs like parsley, thyme and bay leaf. Use this as a base for soups or sauces, or just season it with salt and drink it warm.
Or, make corn chowder: Crisp some bacon lardons and set them aside, then sweat diced aromatics in the bacon fat. Add your corn and corn stock (or water or chicken stock) to cover. Simmer until the corn is tender, then pulse it in a blender to make it smooth-ish and thick-ish. Season it with salt, finish it with cream and garnish with the reserved bacon.
The hot pan progression: This concept leads to many variations. In ascending order of complexity:
1. Fatless char: Get your skillet hot — cast iron works especially well for this — then toss in fresh corn kernels with no fat. Stir while it cooks for about 5 minutes, until the corn is tender and has attractive little black, burned spots on the outside. Toss it with butter or not, or use it in salads or salsas or cornbread.
2. Sauteed: Get a saute pan hot, then add some fat of your choice. If it’s oil, use just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. With butter, I add more because it coats the kernels with that sweet, buttery flavor. With bacon fat, I split the difference. Regardless, saute the corn until it’s cooked through, anywhere from 2 to 6 minutes, depending on how hot your flame is, what kind of pan you’re using and how much corn there is.
3. Added aromatics. Saute diced onion and/or bell pepper and/or garlic for a couple minutes before adding the corn. Continue cooking, stirring until corn is cooked through. Season and serve.
4. Creamed corn and its cousins. Proceed as in numbers 2 or 3 above, sauteing your corn with or without aromatics. For something like maque choux (see accompanying recipe), just add heavy cream (the late, great New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme used sweetened, condensed milk) and reduce it until it thickens.
Or you could sprinkle a couple tablespoons of flour over the whole lot, then stir it in until it looks like a big, gloppy nightmare, then add milk or half-and-half or cream.
Personally, I prefer chicken stock, then finish it with a bit of cream. It’s still rich, but not nearly as heavy.
In any case, it’ll be 1,000 times better than the canned stuff.
Maque choux with or without bacon
This popular side dish from the cuisine of Louisiana has as many interpretations as there are cooks. Bacon adds great flavor and texture, but it’s just as nice when it’s completely vegetarian. Adjust the amount of spices and cream to your liking. You can also turn it into a main dish to serve over rice with additional proteins like shrimp or andouille sausage.
½ pound bacon, cut into lardons (¼-inch wide pieces) or 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, cut into ½-inch dice
1 bell pepper, cut into ½-inch dice
6 to 8 ears fresh corn, shucked, kernels cut off
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt as needed
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne
½ cup heavy cream
If using bacon, crisp it in a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Remove bacon and pour out all but a couple tablespoons of bacon fat. (Note: Keep remaining bacon fat in a covered jar in the refrigerator for later use.)
Increase heat to medium high; saute onion and bell pepper in bacon fat (or oil, if you’re not using bacon) until soft and starting to color, about 5 minutes.
Add corn kernels, garlic and reserved, crisped bacon; saute until cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes.
Season with salt and the spices, then add cream and simmer to reduce and thicken, about 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Makes 6 servings. Nutrition information per serving: 212 calories, 14 grams fat, 5 grams saturated fat, 23 milligrams cholesterol, 22 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams sugar, 5 grams protein, 7 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.
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