- Sweet Bi-Color Corn
Can you feel it? There is something in the air that is making people giggly and excited. And just what is all the excitement about? People are getting ready for that wonderful time of year – CORN SEASON!!!!! Yes, corn season. Being from the Midwest, corn was prevalent on our dinner table. Corn Bread, Creamed Corn, Corn On The Cobb, Polenta, Grits (yes, grits – my dad loved grits) Corn, Corn, Delicious Corn. Well, maybe I am not that excited. Being city born and raised, I definitely never picked any corn or even gave it much thought when I was growing up. But it was a part of our summer diet: I just ate it and didn’t ask questions. It was and still is one of my favorite grains.
On a recent trip to Chicago, I stayed with my sister in the country, about 60 miles from the city, and remembered what the Midwest is all about. Corn!!! My sister and her husband live in a beautiful community in the middle of corn fields. The corn is high and just about ready to pick. So I thought I would get you all ready for that big day, when corn is at it’s best, by sharing a couple of my delicious original corn recipes. I love corn and two of my favorite ways to enjoy it are Corn Chowder and Corn Pudding. I just finished making a batch of Corn Chowder using the seasons first harvested corn from the midwest. There are a lot of varieties of corn but the one I like the best is bi-color corn. It is super sweet, tender and juicy (milky) with small kernels. It is so tender that when you eat it right off the cobb it comes off easily and so sweet it is like eating a corn candy bar.
Both of the recipes are incredibly easy but do require a bit of chopping time. Having all of your mis en plac ready before you begin makes these recipes a cinch.
A couple of hints and tips will help you, so listen up. The corn chowder recipe has chicken in it but you could easily and, OMG!!!, make it so much more interesting and delicious by using lobster. There is nothing better than Lobster and Corn Chowder. If you decide to use lobster, cook the lobster first the way you like to do that task or buy pre-cooked lobster meat. You can get pre-cooked at almost any seafood store except Whole Foods. I suggest you heat the lobster in the soup per serving. Don’t make this big batch and throw 4 cups of lobster in it if you are not going to serve all of the soup at one sitting. You can even use Maryland Crab Meat or Alaskan King Crab. You get the idea.
If you use chicken as suggested in the recipe you can use roasted chicken or sauteed chicken breasts, whatever you like to get the amount you need.
The soup freezes extremely well and will keep in the freezer for about a month or even a little longer.
Corn and Chicken Chowder
Corn Chowder Garnished with Red Hot Pepper
This recipe is a perfect example of “The Layers of Flavor” I always strive for in my cooking. You can taste every ingredient in this chowder at one time and you will be able to identify each of them individually.
Using the corn cobbs in the cooking of the chowder gives it the most corn flavor possible.
Makes About 1 Gallon, Enough for 10 Healthy Portions
8 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
2 Cups Spanish Onions, ¼ Inch Dice
2 Cups Celery, ¼ Inch Dice
2 Cups Carrot, ¼ Inch Dice
6 Cups Fresh Corn off the Cobb (From About 8 Ears, Reserve 4 of the Ears)
4 Cups Russet Potatoes, Peeled and ¼ Inch Dice
1 Jalapeno, Seeded and Finely Minced
1 Tablespoon Coarse Sea Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder
8 Tablespoons All Purpose Flour
7 Cups Chicken Stock, Heated
2 Cups Heavy Cream
4 Cups Cooked Chicken Breast, ½ Inch Dice
Chopped Scallions and Crème Fraiche for Garnish
In a large Dutch oven or stock pot, melt the butter over medium high heat. When butter is hot and foamy add the onion, celery and carrot. Reduce the heat to medium and sauté the vegetables for 8 to 10 minutes, until the onion begins to become translucent. Add the corn, potatoes and the jalapeno and sauté for a few more minutes mixing with the other vegetables to be sure all are covered with the butter.
Add all of the seasonings and toss to coat the vegetables. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to coat all of the vegetables with the flour. Be sure to not let the vegetables get brown. Cook the flour and vegetable mixture for 2 minutes, stirring continuously, to take the raw flavor of the flour out.
Add the heated chicken stock, stirring continuously, and bring to a rolling boil. Add the reserved corn cobbs and reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chowder for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chowder begins to thicken and the vegetable are cooked through.
Add the cream and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cooked chicken and heat through. Remove the corn cobbs and discard before serving.
To serve, ladle generous portions into warm bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of Crème Fraiche and a sprinkle of chopped scallions.
Roasted Corn Pudding
Roasted Corn Pudding
This recipe has become a staple at our Thanksgiving Feast and it is also really good served at a BBQ. You can make this a day ahead and reheat it, covered, in a 300 Degree F oven for about 30 minutes. Test it with a thin bladed knife by inserting it into the middle of the pudding and keeping it there for about 30 seconds. If the blade comes out warm it will be warm all the way through.
2 Tablespoons Olive or Corn Oil
6 Cups Fresh Corn Cut off the Cobb (From About 8 Ears)
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1 Cup Chopped Scallions
2 Cups Chopped Red Bell Pepper
1 Chopped Jalapeno Seeds and Veins Removed (Optional)
6 Large Eggs
2 Large Egg Yolks
1 ½ Cups Heavy Cream
1 ½ Cups Half and Half
1 ½ Cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
1 ½ Cups Grated Jack Cheese
1 Teaspoon Mild Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Ancho Chili Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Chipotle Powder
1 Tablespoon Sea Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
Pinch of Freshly Grated Nutmeg
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray the inside of Large Baking dish (13x9x3 high) with cooking spray. Bring a medium large pot of water to boil.
Remove corn kernels from the Cobbs. Toss with two tablespoons corn or olive oil. Place on a cookie sheet pan with sides and roast in oven for 10 minutes.
Melt the butter in a sauté pan and sauté onion and peppers over medium-high heat for 4 minutes. Add chili, ancho and chipotle powders and gently sauté for 1 more minute. Remove pan from heat and cool slightly.
Whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, heavy cream, and half-and-half in a large bowl. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add the cooked corn, the onion-pepper mixture, grated cheeses and pour into the baking dish.
Place the dish in a larger pan and fill the pan 1/2 way up the sides of the dish with the boiling water. Bake the pudding for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the top begins to brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.
I am looking forward to hearing how you liked these recipes. Your input is very important to me so let me know what your thought about them by commenting on the blog or by e-mailing me at camille@camillecooksforyou.com
(In the posting about the Beer Can Chicken, many of you asked if it can be cooked in the oven instead of the grill. I made it in the oven on Tuesday and it came out moist and delicious and had really crispy skin. The only thing that was a little disappointing was we could not taste the beer flavor as we did when I cooked it on the grill. When I cooked it on the grill the beer flavor was very subtle – not overpowering at all. BUT, the chicken was the most moist chicken I have ever had with cooking in the oven. Here is what I did: I preheated the my CONVECTION oven to 375 Degrees F, propped that baby on an opened can of Mexican Beer, placed it in a shallow pan and cooked it for one hour and 15 minutes. It was a 5 lb. Organic Chicken. I always recommend using an instant read thermometer to be sure it is cooked properly – 185 Degrees F for the thigh and 165-170 for the breast.)
Recipes © 2011