Corn/Maize: Sourcing, Prep, Cooking

[irodguy]

But I was thinking about roasting it in the oven tonight.  Any suggestions for temperatures, times and/or methods (husk on or off)?

I slice the kernals off the ear of corn, toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and spread it on a lightly greased baking sheet in a 400 degree oven for about 15 - 20 minutes. About halfway through I toss everything around. The kernals dry out and the flavor becomes intensified.

In fact you can even do the full husk method in the oven. Just throw the corn in husk and all.

When done you can either strip the corn and toss with evoo, salt and Balsamic, or just brush on some evoo and salt.

You are not loosing anything by not using butter. I personally use EVOO not do to dietary restriction, but strictly for taste.

[Ruth]

I prefer to husk completely, brush with olive oil or butter, sprinkle with salt. Then grill over a hot flame, turning 1/4 turn every 2-3 minutes. I like just a little speckling of char on some of the kernals. If you put them on the grill with the husk on, they just taste steamed to me, may as well microwave them.

That's the way I always do it. When you leave the husks on the corn will be steamed on the grill - o.k. but that is not grilled corn.

[helenas]

Recently i stumbled on the pic of roasted chicken surrounded with corn cob chunks : apparently everything was roasted together.

Now it’s not recommended to cut the raw corn cobs but i decided to give this a try.

Broke each cob into two pieces and halved them vertically. Chunks came out pretty neat and the resulting shape was quite handy for the following interpretation of Todd English' roasted corn: coated with mayo (home-made with yuzu kosho stirred in) and fresh bread crumds. 30mins on 375F was sufficient - the bread crumbs prevented the corn from drying out.

Next time i'll try the the roasted chicken (vertical) with such chunks basted with cream.

[ruthcooks]

Best frittata I ever had: the usual herbs, green onions with the additions of corn kernels, shrimp and cubes of cream cheese, topped with Parmesan.

Pureed corn soup, delicate and wonderful.

A few weeks ago I tried a casserole of broken spaghetti, corn kernels, mushrooms, and cheese. Not bad, but needs work.

[liamsaunt]

This weekend we had a nice risotto with some fresh corn from the farmer's market, Just made a standard risotto, and added the corn raw at the end, cooked for a minute or two and threw in lots of fresh basil and thyme from the garden (along with lots of parmesean cheese). It was really good.

Of course, just on the cob with lots of butter and salt is the best!

[curlywurlyfi]

somewhere on eG someone suggested taking the raw kernels off the cob, then frying them hard in olive oil till caramelizing + scorched + a bit smoky, then adding (off the heat) finely chopped red chilli, finely chopped red onion, chopped fresh coriander + a healthy shot of lime juice. Let me tell you, this stuff is sensational.

[memesuze]

that was Mark Bittman's method in last week's NYTimes - he had other riffs on a basic recipe

[WhiteTruffleGirl]

Interesting sidebar in the NYT today about Mexican style corn...http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/24/dining/24corn.html?pagewanted=all

Edit: Sorry...don't know why this isn't linking.

Edited August 24, 2005 by WhiteTruffleGirl (log)

[Llantha]

Once the corn has been stripped off the cob, however, there is still more good food:

CORN COB JELLY

12 corn cobs

4 c. water

4 c. sugar

l box pectin

Bring water with cobs, to a boil, boil for about 10 minutes.

Strain 3 cups of the liquid a cheesecloth.

Bring liquid and pectin into a large saucepan and bring to rolling boil.

Add the sugar and return to the boil.

Turn down the heat and simmer for 3 minutes., then skim.

Pour into scalded jars and seal.

[helenas]

Once the corn has been stripped off the cob, however, there is still more good food:

that reminds me - Nishan's roasted corn stock from his Taste Pure and Simple book - you roast scraped and oiled corn cobs adding some onions at the end and then simmer them for an hour.

[carswell]

Cold corn soup. Best made with Silver Queen-type or white-kerneled non-supersweet varieties. Remove the kernels and put them in a pot with the cobs, cut in half, a small bay leaf per 6 cobs and some salt. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer until very tender (about 30 minutes). Remove cobs and bay leaf. Purée in a blender or food processor. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve. Chill (can be made 2 or 3 days ahead of time). Correct seasoning (salt and white pepper). Serve in small bowls with a drizzle of truffle oil or olive oil and a garnish of chopped chives, whole chervil leaves or basil chiffonade. For a real treat, place chunks of lobster meat in the bowl before ladling in the soup.

Whole ears grilled over charcoal, spritzed with lime juice and sprinkled with a mixture of sea salt and cayenne.

Poat dot (I cut back on the sugar; most modern-day corn is already sweeter than I like).

[Basilgirl]

Off the cob, sauteed in butter, S&P, fresh chiles and basil

[project]

Supposedly a key point about

corn is that,

as soon as it is picked,

the sugar starts converting

to starch which means

that too soon

the corn is no longer

"sweet".

In view of this point,

my father's recipe for

sweet corn went:

1. Set table.
2. Melt butter.
3. Boil large volume of salted water.
4. Seat family.
5. Take a grocery bag and
   an assistant to
   corn field not far from
   kitchen door.
6. Working quickly,
   pick corn and place in
   bag held by assistant.
7. Then, running quickly
   back to the kitchen,
   remove the husks while running
   and dunk corn in
   boiling water as soon
   as reach the kitchen.
8. When corn is tender,
   drain, serve, and eat
   with butter and salt.

My experience is that 'field corn'

can be quite good if

picked as soon as the

ears are just mature enough

and if the corn field

is within 100 yards of the

kitchen door.

[Swisskaese]

I don't know where I got this recipe, but I really like it. It is always a hit at any dinner party I brought it to Mexican Corn Pudding.

And no, it is not made with that awful canned mexican corn. Use fresh corn.

[Bond Girl]

A classic corn and crab meat chowder served cold with a bit of jalapeno is really awesome.

[snowangel]

It's hot here. Really really hot. When the air conditioning is on, I have a hard time justifying bringing a pot of water to boil on the stove...

I've never grilled corn. Expertise wanted, please!

[russ parsons]

couldn't be simpler. soak the whole ears (husks, silk and all) in a pot of water for about 30 minutes. Grill over medium-high heat, turning every 5 minutes or so. it'll take about 20-25 minutes--the kernels will darken and the husk will start to blacken. don't worry if it chars in places, that tastes good, too. When the corn is done, pull the husks and most of the silk will come with it.

[therese]

You can also grill corn after removing the husks and silk, just as you would if you were boiling them. Set them directly on the grill and turn them every once in a while. Seems like they take about ten minutes total, but your mileage will vary. They're done when they look, well, done.

[rooftop1000]

either of those will work perfectly.....but my farm stand guy says to microwave it for 2 min over an inch of water

tracey

Edited July 24, 2007 by rooftop1000 (log)

[dougal]

... but my farm stand guy says to microwave it for 2 min over and inch of water

←

Or season, apply butter, wrap in clingfilm and microwave for a minute or two (normal microwave rules apply!)

[annecros]

I grill husk on after soaking in water. I also melt butter in hot water in a tall thin container on the grill at the same time. When the corn is done, pull the husks and silk back, use the husk as a handle, and dip in the container of butter/water. The butter floats on top and coats the grilled corn perfectly and easily. Salt and pepper, and eat until you can't eat any more!

[lancastermike]

I also use the wet it down and grill method, however I will peel the husk back and clean off the silk. Than bring the husk back up around the corn. You can soak it as others suggest or I just spray it down and grill it up. If your corn is fresh,and I'm sure Susan's is, it won't take long.

Grilling it after it is husked works well too. Just need to be a bit more vigilant to prevent burning. This method will give the corn a bit of char flavor.

Another method I have seen used is to soak up a hunk of burlap and wrap the corn in the burlap and grill up the whole thing spraying the burlap if necessary.

[MelissaH]

We always just put the ears directly on the grill, no soaking beforehand. They get a great roasty flavor as the husks start to char. And the silk comes right off, very easily!

MelissaH

[Tim Dolan]

either of those will work perfectly.....but my farm stand guy says to microwave it for 2 min over an inch of water

tracey

←

Really? The farm guy goes with the mic vs. the grill???

[tim]

Hi,

We spray the husked ears with olive oil and turn them every 3 minutes till they are evenly caramelized. This can be done over charcoal, gas or under an electric broiler.

We also strip the kernels before serving with butter.

Tim