David Ross

This is the perfect time of year to revisit our Apple Cook-Off. What apple dishes are you making right now?

Hi there. You can actually make the corn stock with frozen ears of corn. Corn seems to be one of the vegetables that freezes well and doesn't lose too much flavor after freezing. This recipe is for four small side dishes, but really two bowls for a hearty lunch. The recipe I made is actually half of what I'd do for a family meal so it's easily doubled with no ingredient changes. I haven't done the polenta in a slow-cooker, so I'm not sure the creaminess would work. On the stovepot it takes less than 10 minutes once you put the cornmeal into the boiling stock, then a few stirs until it thickens and it's ready.

Well after taking far too long to get this recipe finished, I finally did today. Luckily for me I had made enough corn stock a few weeks back that I have plenty in the freezer. Likewise, I froze plenty of fresh sweet corn when it was in season and used it in this dish. My thought was to showcase the corn stock in a basic dish of polenta. I wanted to see if it added to the corn taste, and what I thought about adding corn kernels to the polenta and also as a garnish. The sage is a favorite fall herb for me and while I don't eat much bacon, it sure was good on top of polenta. I suppose the only "cheat" was that I added some grated parmesan to make it extra creamy. I had some polenta left in the saucepot so I quickly spooned that into a brownie dish and will let it cool overnight to be fried-up tommorrow morning for breakfast. And this will be a new side dish for the Thanksgiving turkey. Sweet Corn Polenta with Bacon and Sage- 1/2 cup ground cornmeal 1/3 cup sweet yellow corn kernels 2 cups corn stock 2 tsp. chopped fresh sage 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese salt and black pepper to taste 2 tbsp. crumbled bacon sage leaves for garnish Pour 1 1/2 cups corn stock into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Place the cornmeal in a small bowl and add the remaining 1/2 cup corn meal and stir to make a thick paste. Whisk the cornmeal mixture into the boiling stock, whisking constantly to combine. Turn the heat down to medium and continue to stir the polenta. It will bubble and thicken while it cooks. After about 6-8 minutes, the polenta will be cooked through and thick. Add additional corn stock if it's too thick. Stir in the corn kernels, sage and parmesan. Season the polenta with salt and pepper to taste. Quickly spoon the hot polenta onto servings plates and garnish with corn kernels, crumbled bacon and fresh sage leaves.

I was in airline management for 28 years for Horizon/Alaska. The most senior flight attendant I supervised had started working for Northwest "Orient" in 1957. She was in the group that was forced to quit if they got married or pregnant. Some years later she came to work at Horizon in the early 1980's. She was part of a lawsuit claiming they were wrongly terminated on marriage. It got all the way to the Supreme Court and the NW Flight Attendants won a large compensation. She had tons of photos, old menus and great stories to share. I remember a photo of her with her crew that flew on the DC-6, (not a jet), from Seattle to Honolulu. Now that was some trek. And all the wonderful food went along in those days.

This is an interesting discussion thread at flyertalk.com with the menus from hundreds of flights and dozens of different airlines. There are both older and newer menus and each post has the aircraft type and destination info. Not a lot of pictures but interesting menus. There is also a section of flyertalk.com for trip reports from frequent fliers that does show some photos of what airlines are currently serving. Most of it looks awful with the exception being on long-haul international first class. https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-reports/833998-all-airline-ft-menu-collection.html

Yes and even sausages hanging from the display. Imagine charcuterie on a plane.

So true. I remember back then we couldn't afford to fly because as Mother said, "it's only for rich people." Our summer vacations were by car, train or bus.

This comes from the site fashbak.com. This is a photo of first-class service on the DC-8 on SAS Airlines. Can you imagine hand-carved Jamon Iberico at your seat? Not only that, but properly displayed in the tool specifically crafted to hold this precious ham. Amazing really and you won't see this on an airplane today. https://flashbak.com/all-a-smogasbord-vintage-photos-of-scandinavian-airlines-meals-362543/?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=email_this&utm_source=email

You know what's funny, I had posted that on my Facebook page so maybe she shared it. I follow a couple of vintage airlines Facebook pages and this is where it popped-up. How great a comparison.

We've been making and discussing a lot of sweet corn dishes over in our Sweet Corn Cook-Off- https://forums.egullet.org/topic/159336-eg-cook-off-83-a-bounty-of-sweet-corn/ Corn Soup with Vadouvan Spice and Lump Crab Meat- Shrimp with Sweet Corn and Basil- Corn Stock-

Making corn stock was incredibly easy and I'll be using it as the base for a corn puree. I'm pretty happy because I will freeze some and use it throughout the fall and winter using it in all sorts of soups, stews and sauces. I shake my head and think all those years where we just threw the cobs away. I'd describe the flavor as not overly salty with a light corn flavor. It's not a punch in your face corn flavor, but I wouldn't hesitate to use it as the base for a chicken noodle soup. I used local sweet corn. I prefer the yellow color ears if I'm eating corn on the cob, but for the corn stock I didn't think it mattered if it was the white/yellow corn. Corn Stock- 4 ears sweet corn 5 cups water 1 tsp. salt 1 tbsp. black peppercorns 6-8 sprigs fresh thyme 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic, smashed Put all the ingredients in an Instant Pot and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Ten minutes seemed just right for the cooking time since it takes a while for the pressure to build up, then cook, then the pressure to come down. Since steam builds up in the Instant Pot during the process, I think next time I'll reduce the water to 4 cups so the corn stock has a little more flavor.

Thanks that helps a lot. I'm starting on it today.

Any recommendation on making corn puree? I'm going to start with the corn stock I made, but from that point on I am considering two options. Add some corn kernels to the corn stock and just a little fresh thyme, dash salt and pepper. I considered a bay leaf but think that may be too strong. Then cook the corn down and puree it with cream. Then strain to make it silky but a texture like soft mashed potatoes. Anything else I should add? Then another option I thought of trying but not so excited about is using the corn stock to make a loose polenta. I'm not sure though if I would like the grainy sort of texture you get with polenta. Any thoughts?

It took a number of tries but I think I got the sweet corn just right. The original thought was to do a sweet corn tempura but after three attempts that idea didn't work. Tempura is normally one piece, like a prawn, bean, spear of asparagus or slice of sweet potato. I found that little kernels of corn were hard to hold together in a tempura batter. The next thing I discovered was the water in each kernel seemed to affect the crispiness of the finished tempura. But the biggest problem was the batter. I began with a trusted source, "Dining With The Chef" on NHK broadcasting Tokyo. The recipe calls for all-purpose flour, (although I think the Japanese use a flour milled for making tempura), one egg yolk and ice water. The batter ended up to much like a pancake type of fried corn cake, not light, airy and crispy like we think of tempura. Then I tried a recipe with flour, both baking soda and baking powder, a whole egg and ice water. It was actually more cakey than the first batter so I figured it was time to lose the egg. I tried another recipe with boxed tempura flour and ice water, but it didn't hold the corn kernels together. Finally, I remembered a show I had seen on YouTube for "Kakiage" which is a Japanese vegetable pancake fried like tempura. The recipes I found use julienned onion, carrot and potato, so I had to work on how I could do it with sweet corn. I settled on the simplest of batters, cake flour and soda water. Cake flour is fine and light, giving cakes their light volume. The soda is what creates the crispy texture. To start, I removed the husks and silk from ears of corn and blanched them in boiling water for 1 minute. I wanted to start the cooking process but still keep the kernels crisp. Then cut the kernels off the cob. (I saved the cobs to make corn stock, that I'll use later this week). The finished corn kakiage was nothing like I have tasted before. Light, crispy and the batter wasn't at all "cakey." The sweet corn stayed crisp, but it also has a slightly toasted flavor almost like popcorn. Definately will sit aside my traditional corn on the cob recipes. Next, the batter. Cake flour and ice cold soda water. Put some of the corn kernels in the batter, then using a spoon, scoop the corn onto a spatula. I know, not an easy technique but it works. I've never grated daikon for a garnish before and I don't know why. It adds a peppery flavor to the sweet corn kakiage. Just grate some daikon and garnish with sesame seeds or in this case I used chives from the garden. The "tentsuyu" is a traditional dipping sauce for tempura. This time I used dry instant dashi combined with boiling water. Usually I make my own dashi stock and have enough for a dipping sauce, miso soup and other sauces. Sweet Corn Kakiage with Tentsuyu Dipping Sauce- 2 ears sweet corn, husked, silk removed 1 cup cake flour 1/2-3/4 cup club soda Nanami Togarashi Japanese Flour 1-2 tbsp. grated daikon radish snipped chives for garnish Korean cucumber pickles 1 cup dashi stock 1/4 cup mirin 1/4 cup soy sauce 2 tsp. sugar Pour the dashi stock, mirin, soy sauce and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn the heat off and let the sauce cool to room temperature. I make the sauce ahead of time then keep it covered in the fridge. Some people like to serve it warmed or room temperature, I like it cold. Heat a large pot of salted water to the boil, then blanch the ears of corn for 1 minute. Drain the corn cobs and let cool. Cut the kernels off the cobs. Cut the cobs in quarters and reserve to make corn stock. Heat oil, (I use canola oil), in a large pot to 365. Put the cake flour in a bowl and whisk in enough club soda to make a thin batter. Put a large spoonful of the corn kernels in the batter, then using a spatula, spoon the corn on top of a spatula. Gently push the corn off the spatula into the hot oil. Fry the sweet corn kakiage for 3-4 minutes until crispy and the kakiage just starts to brown.

Well, the Soviets seemed to find a way to sing the praises of corn back in the 1950's https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ILAMjdMCtQ

This coming week I'm going to use some of the corn stock for cooking wild rice and another use will be corn stock for making a corn puree.

I think I finally got the Japanese style corn dish where I want it. I'll be posting the recipe tomorrow, but this is one of the draft photos. The batter ended up being cake flour and soda water. I blanched whole ears of corn for about 1 minute then cut the kernels off the cob. Saved the cobs to make corn stock for another sweet corn dish. It was tricky to get the corn into the hot oil, so I used a spoon to sort of put some corn/batter on a spatula and slid that into the oil. It fries in about 3 minutes. Because I only blanched the corn for a minute, then fried in the batter for maybe 3, the corn kernels stayed firm, and packed full of sweet flavor. The sides are a tempura dipping sauce I made, grated daikon and some pickled cucumber I buy at a local Korean store. Those things are vivid green!

Thanks I'm going to try that this weekend.

This is a corn cake I made this past Spring using frozen sweet corn. It was a dish I did for eG Cook-Off #81: The Avocado-Finding New Popularity in the Kitchen. I think these corn cakes would be much better with fresh sweet corn and they work with so many other ingredients. This is the skillet corn cakes with a pickled avocado and watermelon salsa. Skillet Corn Cakes-makes about 16 3” cakes 1 cup corn kernels, (frozen corn works well, thaw before using) ½ cup melted butter ½ cup heavy cream ½ cup whole milk 1 large egg ¾ cup Masa flour 1/3 cup all-purpose flour ½ tsp. baking powder ¼ cup sugar 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. ground cumin 1 tsp. chili powder 2-3 tbsp. oil for frying Combine the corn, melted butter, cream, milk and egg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl combine the Masa flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients into the corn mixture and stir to combine and create a smooth pancake like batter. Add additional milk if the batter is too thick. Heat a skillet or pancake griddle over medium heat. Drizzle some of the oil into the pan and add 2-3 large spoons of the corn cake batter to make small dollar size pancakes. Fry the corn cakes until bubbles appear, 1-2 minutes and then turn over and fry the other side, about 1-2 minutes. Keep the corn cakes warm on a plate tented with foil while you finish frying. https://forums.egullet.org/topic/158091-eg-cook-off-81-the-avocado-finding-new-popularity-in-the-kitchen/?do=findComment&comment=2193863

Attempt number two at corn tempura was better but still not where I want it. I think it's two issues. Since corn is small little kernels that have moisture, it seems to impact how crispy and delicate the tempura is. The Japanese tempura recipe I used is flour, one egg yolk and ice water. If you do one green bean tempura that works fine, but a cluster of corn not as well. I think the moisture in the corn kernels and the egg mixed with the flour is what is creating a sort of fried corn pancake. It's getting better, but today is a third try. I'm going to make a sweet corn "kakiage" which is a style of Japanese vegetable fritter. I've seen it made with carrot, onion and potato but I'll try it with sweet corn. It's vegetables that are julienned then dusted with flour. Then they pour in a bit of soda water and shape the mix into a round and put it on a spatula and slide it into the oil. That may do the trick but I'll see.

Well after thinking about the corn tempura failure last night I think I realized what happened. Ugh. Why, I don't know, but a month back I decided that I'd probably not use that last few cups of bread flour in the bin so I added it into the all-purpose flour bin. A sort of confused flour bin if you will. I'm thinking that is what happened to the tempura last night which turned more into a soft fritter pancake doughy sort of mess. Then of course this morning I realized I had Japanese tempura flour in the cupboard the whole time. So the better attempt this afternoon and a tutorial video from Dining with the Chef on NHK.

Today was what ended up as a "test" of the sweet corn tempura. I'll start with the failure. Instead of going with the tempura recipe I normally use, (from Dining with the Chef on NHK Broadcasting, Tokyo), I went with a "hyrbrid" tempura batter and it turned out my like cakey fritters. But tommorrow I'll adjust that and it should go good. I put the corn on the cob in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes then cut the kernels off. I made corn stock with the cobs and I'm using that in another sweet corn dish later this week. I am pretty good at frying tempura, and the sauce and grating daikon is basic stuff so if I just go back to the right tempura batter I think it will work better. In the end, a dinner of corn fritters isn't all that bad.

Anyone have a good recipe for a smooth corn puree?

I'm not an expert, but I think probably would work although you may have to adjust the time.

I going to do a sweet corn tempura based on a dish I saw prepared on "Trails to Tsujiki" on NHK Broadcasting. While most of the shows are focused on seafood, the often feature a fruit or vegetable used in Japanese cooking. The sweet corn fascinated me. They cut deep into a cab so the kernels kept in a long piece, then dipped in tempura batter and fried. They served it simply with a tempura sauce of soy sauce, mirin and dashi and grated daikon. I'm thinking of adding some ground nori to the tempura batter. I've also seen corn tempura on a stick, but I'm not sure how to master that. Any thoughts on how to prep the corn for tempura? I've also seen it done by making corn patties and dipping that in the tempura batter.