Cornbread family reunion!
Some fun ideas for using fresh corn on the cob
Summertime is traditionally the time of year when people have family reunions, gathering relatives from all over the place for some quality time together. Sadly, I suspect the lingering COVID pandemic has impacted many people’s plans to get together this year.
Thinking about family get-togethers has got me thinking about corn, and about the big wide family of dishes made with corn (see my clever metaphor?). With so much excellent sweet corn ripening in Kentucky this month, I have been playing around with various recipes, seeing the versatility of fresh corn!
I used to not like corn on the cob unless it had a lot of butter and salt on it. I didn’t think it tasted like much, and the kernels were sometimes just kind of dry and tough. Then I started buying corn at the farmers’ market. Picked just a few hours before I buy it, the market corn is AMAZING. Super sweet, soft kernels, so tasty even without any butter or salt! I actually sometimes just eat it raw, it’s so good!!
Fresh Corn Cornbread
This time of year, with such amazing fresh corn, I like to toss a few handfuls of fresh corn kernels to my cornbread (I don’t measure precisely on this). They add great flavor, and fun little “pops” as you bite into them in the cornbread. Mix them into the batter, and also sprinkle a handful on top!
Corn Fritters
One of my favorite ways to cook with fresh corn on the cob is to make corn fritters. Here’s a basic recipe that’s pretty flexible. You can mix in other veggies and herbs if you have them, or make them spicy by adding some hot peppers. Recipe for corn fritters from Food Network.
I like to serve mine with a quick spicy mayo, that I make by stirring together some mayonnaise with a few squirts of sriracha sauce and some black pepper.
Corn salad
This isn’t really a recipe, just potentially an inspiration. I was out in my garden a few weeks ago and picked some juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, basil, and parsley. I came inside, sweaty, dirty, and hungry, and not sure what to make. I just chopped up everything I’d just picked, added some fresh corn scraped off the cob, some chopped onion, and then made a simple vinaigrette. It was amazingly tasty: fresh, light, and satisfying.
This is just a reminder that you can eat raw corn. If it’s very fresh, it’s delicious.
Corn Ice Cream
On the sweet side, have you ever had corn ice cream? I hadn’t either, until I stumbled upon this amazing recipe by Claudia Fleming, from her amazing cookbook The Last Course: The Desserts of Grammercy Tavern. I highly recommend this cookbook, it is full of fascinating flavor combos and amazing desserts.
I have made this recipe several times, and it is lovely. Gently sweet, with the full flavor of summer corn! Plus, you get your daily dosage of veggies in your dessert. BONUS!
Here’s the link to the recipe for Sweet Corn Ice Cream
Corn Cookies
Once I had the corn ice cream, I decided I just had to make corn ice cream sandwiches with corn cookies! I first had these cookies at Mozzi Pi, a fabulous pizza restaurant in Anchorage, Kentucky, just east of Louisville. They make them fresh every day, and you can also buy a mix for the cookies that’s made with corn they mill themselves. So fresh and flavorful! Turns out, Christina Tosi of Milk Bar has a great recipe for corn cookies which you can find at The Kitchn. Corn Cookies by Christina Tosi
Here are the finished corn cookie ice cream sandwiches, filled with corn ice cream!
I hope you are able to find some great fresh corn before the season ends, and that you are inspired to make something tasty with it (or just eat it plain!) I’d love to hear what you make!
CORNY JOKE!
Question: What has ears but cannot hear?
Answer: A field of corn.
I hope you have a great month!
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