Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Dish is cream of the crop

By JANET K. KEELER
Published June 29, 2005

Why take a food so naturally good-tasting, and good for you, and transform it into something utterly sinful?

Because we can.

Such is the case with Creamed Corn With Bacon and Blue Cheese. If the heavy cream doesn't do you in, the bacon and blue cheese - I used Iowan Maytag - are there to finish the job.

Serve it with a grilled steak and Caesar salad. The arteries shudder, but the taste buds dance.

Forget the canned cream corn of your youth. That tasteless stuff can't even be compared with creamed corn made from kernels cut from the cob.

Half the corn in this recipe is cut from the ear, the other is grated. Retain as much of the milky pulp as you can to add flavor and thickness.

Remove the kernels by cutting the ears in half, standing them on a stable end and skimming off the kernels with a sharp knife.

To remove the corn's "milk," run the backside of a butter knife along the cob, catching liquid and pulp in a bowl.

This recipe, though, is a good one for your arsenal of Dishes Meant to Impress.

Substitute low-fat milk for the cream to reduce calories and fat grams. You won't get as much lushness, but a good-quality, high-flavored cheese will help mask what's missing.

This isn't an everyday recipe, but a showstopper for special occasions.

5 medium ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed

4 ounces (about 4 slices) bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1 medium shallot, minced

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 cups heavy cream (see note)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Pinch cayenne

2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

Salt and ground black pepper

Cut the kernels from three ears of corn and transfer them to a medium bowl. Firmly scrape the cobs with the back of a butter knife to collect the pulp and milk in the same bowl.

Grate the remaining two ears of corn on the coarse side of a box grater set into the bowl with the previously cut kernels. Firmly scrape the remaining two cobs with the back of a butter knife to collect the pulp and milk in the same bowl.

Cook the bacon pieces in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; set aside.

Remove and discard all but 2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat from the pan. Add the shallot and cook until softened but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the corn kernels and pulp as well as the cream, thyme and cayenne.

Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary and stirring occasionally, until the corn is tender and the mixture has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese and bacon. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Serves four to six.

* Substitute low-fat milk for cream and cut calories to 267 and fat grams to 13. It may take longer for mixture to thicken.

Nutritional information per serving (six): 446 calories, 34g fat (18g saturated), 10g protein, 31g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 325mg sodium.

Source: "Best American Side Dishes" by the editors of Cook's Illustrated magazine (America's Test Kitchen, $35).

1 ripe avocado, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 ripe red tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1 ear sweet corn, shucked

1 scallion, both white and green parts, trimmed and finely chopped, or 3 tablespoons diced sweet onion

1 to 2 jalapeno peppers or serrano chilies, seeded and minced (for a hotter salsa, leave seeds in)

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

Place the avocado in the bottom of a nonreactive mixing bowl and gently toss with 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Spoon the tomato on top of the avocado.

Cut the kernels off the corn. The easiest way to do this is to lay the cob flat on a cutting board and remove the kernels with lengthwise strokes of a chef's knife. Add the corn kernels to the mixing bowl.

The salsa can be prepared to this stage up to 2 hours ahead. Refrigerate it, covered.

Just before serving, add the scallions, jalapeno and cilantro to the mixing bowl and gently toss to mix.

Taste for seasoning, adding more lime juice as necessary and season with salt and pepper to taste; the salsa should be highly seasoned.

Makes two to three cups.

Nutritional information per 1/4 cup for 3-cup yield: 44 calories, 3g fat (trace saturated), 1g protein, 6g carbohydrates, 2g fiber, 5mg sodium.

Source: "Indoor! Grilling" by Steven Raichlen (Workman Publishing, 2004; $18.95).

[Last modified June 28, 2005, 09:25:30]