Creamed Corn

[snowangel]

How do you make creamed corn to approximate the canned stuff?

[Chris Amirault]

What qualities in the canned stuff do you wish to emulate? Emulsification of the ingredients?

[David Ross]

How do you make creamed corn to approximate the canned stuff?

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I'm not sure if my recipe is close to the canned stuff, but I think it tastes much better.

I'd probably say that canned cream corn was on my 'top three list of most hated foods' when I was a kid. The other two were canned peas and my Mother's stuffed green peppers.

I still don't like canned creamed corn, but homemade creamed corn is wonderful.

You can either smoke the corn on the cob like I do or just cut it straight off the cob without smoking it. Right now our corn is very sweet in the Northwest so I think I'll make some creamed corn myself next weekend.

Hope you try this recipe:

Smoked Creamed Corn

2 large ears sweet yellow corn

3 slices smoked bacon

1 cup heavy cream

¾ cup grated white cheddar cheese

1 tbsp. chopped fresh lemon thyme

1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Prepare the fire in the outdoor grill. When the coals are white hot, place the rack over the fire. Place the whole ears of corn on the rack. Note-Do not remove the husks from the corn prior to grilling.

Place the lid on top of the grill and let the corn roast and smoke for about 20 minutes. The husks will turn black and look charred. This is normal. Some of the kernels of corn will also get charred.

Remove the corn from the grill and let it cool to room temperature.

Remove the husks and silk from the ears of corn. Using a serrated knife, cut the kernels of corn off the ear.

Cut the slices of bacon into small dice. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon pieces until golden brown and crispy. Remove the bacon pieces from the pan and drain on paper towels.

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the corn, bacon, cream, cheese, lemon thyme, sage, cayenne and salt and pepper to taste.

When the creamed corn begins to bubble, reduce the heat to low and keep the it warm until service. If the corn becomes too thick, add additional cream or water.

[Feedbag]

Wow, that recipe sounds great!

Funny this topic should come up. I was at the hospital waiting on someone and in the lounge they had the Food Network tuned in. Some cook was making creamed corn, but I came in too late so not sure who he was or deets about the recipe. They might have it on their website, though.

[Terrasanct]

That recipe sounds really good. I just bought corn on the cob the other day and froze most of it after dinner. I was thinking about making a simple creamed corn with cream, onions, and minced jalapenos. Tastes nothing like the canned stuff, fortunately.

[Carrot Top]

I seem to remember a recipe for creamed corn "au naturel" (off the cob not out of the can) where the directions involved either slitting the kernels down through the center before cutting them off the cob and/or grating the kernels directly off the cob rather than cutting them, before cooking. This allows the milky juices to escape to create that creaminess.

It probably is in some book I gave away but I'll look around and see if I still have it somewhere.

(Edited to add that I can't find the book this technique is in but my best guess would be either The Settlement Cookbook or James Beard's American Cookery. )

Edited to add more : I just remembered that after cutting/grating the kernels off the cob it's important to scrape the cob itself with the blunt part of a knife to gain all the extra corn "milk".

Edited August 19, 2007 by Carrot Top (log)

[David Ross]

By the way, I like to use my creamed corn recipe as a sauce with fresh seafood. I like to spoon some of the creamed corn in a shallow bowl and top it with a dungeness crab cake or a grilled salmon filet. I'll add that to the shopping list this week and make it next weekend so I can post a photo. Creamed corn is sounding better every minute.

[snowangel]

David, that sounds wonderful.

Chris, what I am seeking is more on the order of the emulsification -- not just corn kernels floating around in a thin liquid.

I'd better get experimenting. We have tons or corn right now.

[Carrot Top]

I really think the grating off the cob with a low slow cook just with a touch of butter salt and tiny bit of sugar should do it, Susan. A pressure cooker could help. Perhaps if the texture does not quite make it after the low slow cook the merest bit of a cornstarch slurry could add it.

The side of the cans of cream corn say just "corn" and "salt" or "corn, salt, and sugar" I think.

Edited to add: Add a tiny bit of water if you need to avoid scorching while cooking depending on the pot. My guess would be anywhere between twentyfive minutes and fortyfive should give you the texture and thickness if you've gotten the corn milk/starch/sugar expressed from the kernels to make the creaminess in the initial grating/prep.

Edited August 19, 2007 by Carrot Top (log)

[snowangel]

I really think the grating off the cob with a low slow cook just with a touch of butter salt and tiny bit of sugar should do it, Susan. A pressure cooker could help.

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Tell me more, Karen! I have a brand new pressure cooker.

[Dave the Cook]

A pressure cooker seems like overkill for corn, though I'm no stranger to wanting to put new gadgets to use.

This isn't up to my usual detail, but here's how I do it: cut the kernels off, then -- as others have suggested -- use the back of the knife to get all the milk. Sometimes I sweat chopped shallots in a saucepan with salt, then add the corn and the liquid. Cook until it reduces almost to a glaze.

Then I add enough half-and-half or cream (whatever I have on hand) to create the proper smoothness, and sprinkle with cornmeal, masa or cornstarch (keeping it in the family, you know; use a lot less if cornstarch is all you have), and sugar, if needed -- this time of year, it's probably not necessary. Cook until it comes together. Thyme, rosemary and especially black pepper are good seasonings.

[Carrot Top]

I'm just going from memory of the recipe, Susan. I would tell you more if I could.

If a pressure cooker were to be used, it would for a very short time, it is to be imagined.

The only reason it came to mind is that it seemed it might be of use in smoothing out the corn by the application of pressure and that would seem useful for that soft milkiness.

Cream corn is sort of (to my mind) like corn kernels turned inside out and smoothed. Instead of the focus being on the initial crunch/crisp bite followed by the juicy milky inside, you get the juicy milky inside followed by bits of the more tense outside.

It's great.

[Carrot Top]

Just googled "pressure cooker cream corn" and came up with this: Canning Cream Corn is on the second page. The description of cutting the kernels off the cob by cutting directly through the center to let the milk out of them is there, as is the note on scraping the cob.

Looks like a good idea if there really is a lot of corn to be made.

[Qwerty]

At an old job of mine we would juice fresh corn, and use that as the cooking medium for corn cut off the cob. Of course, a good base of shallot and other aromatics help as well. Don't skimp on the butter, of course.

But essentially, the corn juice thickens with the cooking (thanks to the natural starch) and creates a creamy consistency with a deeper level of corn flavor.

[onrushpam]

Here's the way I learned from my grandma, with the corn from grandpa's "truck patch"...

Cut the corn off the cobs and then scrape with the back of the knife, as others have described.

Melt a knob of butter (or a little bacon grease) in a cast iron skillet.

Saute the corn in the butter for a bit (maybe 10 minutes?) Don't let it get any color, just start to soften.

Add a good amount of milk or half-and-half. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or so. If it's still too liquid, take the lid off and let it cook down to the desired consistency. Salt and a good amount of fresh ground pepper at the end.

Sometimes I saute some minced Vidalia onion or a shallot before adding the corn.

Sometimes I add crumbled bacon and/or chopped tomatoes and/or chopped green onions at the end. But, most times, I just enjoy the plain creamy, corny goodness.

BTW, I like it best with old-fashioned yellow corn. The texture and flavor are better than the white or bi-color varieties.

If your corn isn't super fresh, you might want to add a little sugar with the milk.

[David Ross]

Here are two dishes that use my creamed corn recipe. While I love creamed corn on it's own, it's also a great recipe as a base for many other dishes.

Here is a Rack of Lamb with a Corn Pudding. I used the creamed corn recipe and added an egg and a bit of flour. Then I baked/poached the pudding in the oven for about 30 minutes.

Then a Creamed Corn and Oyster Chowder with Sauteed Dungeness Crab. I took the basic creamed corn recipe and added fish stock, clams, diced new potatoes and some Cajun seafood seasoning.

[onrushpam]

I bought six ears of yellow corn this morning at my favorite produce stand... they are located across the parking lot from the place where the big grocers come to buy produce from local farms.

I don't know the provenance of the corn I bought... probably someplace in N. GA or SC... But, the ears were HUGE! It was YELLOW corn.

I cut some of it off the cob for a creamed corn dish that includes okra and tomatoes. I nearly SWOONED at the first taste of i! Such corny flavor! Sweet, not starchy, but it tasted like CORN! So much of the white or bi-color corn we get is just sweet. It doesn't really taste like corn. When I scraped the cobs, the amount of "milk" produced was amazing!

I blanched the other four ears and will make up a little baggie for the freezer.

I wish this market was open on Sundays... I'd be back tommow to buy more for the freezer.