| ESTIMATED CALORIC INFO | |
|---|---|
| Serving Size | 1 small bowl |
| Calories from Protein | 5% |
| Calories from Fat | 35% |
| Calories from Carbs | 60% |
| Total Calories | 150 |
Okay, so it’s about time. I have been mentioning this creamed corn dish on here so many times over that I’m sure you’re just dying to see it and get the recipe (and if not then can you at least just play along and indulge me in this little fantasy? Thanks). I figured it was finally time to post it, and what better opportunity than coinciding with the Summer Fest 2010 week for corn.
Summer Fest is a cross-blog event celebrating peak harvest season and the crops it brings to us. This is the third year of Summer Fest and my first year participating. Each Wednesday for the rest of the summer, or perhaps a bit longer, a group of bloggers will post on a theme ingredient, rounding out the theme by posting their tips, recipes, or stories about the ingredient in question. Each blogger who has then participated will be listed in the posts along with a link to their own posts so if a reader is looking for more on that particular week’s theme, they can find it easily at their fingertips.
This is the second week of Summer Fest (I missed the first, in typical me fashion). The first week was cukes and zukes and you can see the roundup by following my link.
This week, of course, is corn.
So with that, we’re going to do Keller’s creamed corn from the ad hoc at home recipe book that I do love so dearly.
Let’s start with choosing fresh corn. How can you pick a good ear from a not-so-good? The key, as is often the case, is the smell. Take a fresh ear of corn and peel back just a little bit of the shuck from the top, and take a good whiff. It should smell fresh, but not vegetal. It should smell, very literally, like corn – not like leaves, or plant-matter, or growth. It seems a subtle distinction as I type the words here on a page, but when you have two of the varying ears of corn in front of you the difference is actually quite stark.
| ESTIMATED FOOD MILES | |
|---|---|
| Corn | 45 miles |
| Heavy Cream | 150 miles |
| Butter | 500 miles |
| Limes | 500 miles |
| Cayenne Pepper | ??? miles |
| Chives | 0 miles |
| Total | 1,195 miles |
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients…
- 5-6 ears of fresh corn
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3 oz unsalted butter
- 2 fresh limes
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tbsp fresh chives
First step is to shuck the corn and remove it from the cob.
My method for this is to break the ears in half once they have been shucked – this way, when you cut the corn off the cob it won’t have as fall to far and will tend not to bounce all over the counter and the floor quite as much.
Zest the limes and set zest aside. Roll them on the countertop and squeeze the juice out into a small bowl.
Melt the butter in large saucepan over medium heat, and add the corn, cayenne pepper, and lime juice (you should have at least 1 tbsp of lime juice).
A trick from the Keller book – before cooking your corn, put it into a large bowl and put a small bowl of water next to it. Dip your fingertips in the bowl of water, then swish it around in the large bowl of corn and it will attract all the stray pieces of silk out of the corn. Repeat as necessary. Using this method, you should be able to remove about 99% of all the silk from your chopped corn.
Cook for 15-20 minutes over medium heat until liquid has reduced and the corn has started to sizzle just a little bit. You want to make sure your pan is big enough for every kernel to be evenly cooked, it will give the creamed corn a much more uniform flavor in the end.
Add 3/4 cup heavy cream (you can increase or decrease this as you prefer based on consistency) and cook for another 6-8 minutes until it has reduced to your liking.
Add fresh chives and 1 tbsp of lime zest.
Remove from heat and serve.
This is easily the best creamed corn I have ever had in my life. I make it for us far too often, it is getting dangerous. It is so ridiculously delicious though, you’ll soon understand why.
Easy riffing options: swap the heavy cream for coconut milk, and the chives for coconut flakes. And/or swap the cayenne pepper for a minced jalapeño. It’s not better, per se, just different. Don’t ever let Keller know you changed his recipe.
Summer Fest 2010 Participants:
- Nicole at Pinch My Salt: Creamed Corn with Bacon and Rosemary
- Margaret at A Way to Garden: Vintage corn Americana slideshow, and no-frills creamed corn
- The FN Dish: Creamed Corn-Off: Battle of the Southern Cooks
- Alison at Food2: Freezing Corn
- Toby at Healthy Eats: Candied Corn and 4 other recipes
- Michelle at Cooking Channel: Browsing Corn Porn
- Judy/Tuscan Diva: Fried Polenta Crostini with Porcini Ragu
- Jennifer of Gilded Fork: Corn: Sweet Versatility (history, uses & recipes from cocktails to cornbread
- Chef Mark: Gettin’ Corny! (Musings from childhood, tips & fresh-corn recipes)
- Caron of SanDiegoFoodstuff: Chino Corn Risotto with Chanterelles and Burrata
- Caroline at The Wright Recipes: Pickled Corn with Summer Onion and Basil
- White on Rice Couple: BBQ Chicken and Corn Pizza
- Shauna at Gluten Free Girl: a sweet corn risotto (and how to make corn stock with husks and mirepoix)
- Tigress in a Jam: Cream Corn Scones (the perfect way to use up left over roasted or boiled corn):
- Alana at Eating from the Ground Up: Corn on the Kabob (invented by her artist husband):
- Cate O’Malley at Sweetnicks: Corn and Spinach Stuffed Portobello Mushroom Caps
- Kelly at Just a Taste: Caramel Corn (plus pics of corn in its various popping stages)
- Paige Orloff of The Sister Project: Life-Changing Corn Pancakes
- Tara at Tea and Cookies: Farro Corn Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs
- Food Network UK blog: Talking Corn
If you’d like to participate in Summer Fest, it’s easy and you are welcome to. Margaret at A Way to Garden is happy to explain.
