Sweet Summer Corn- Two Ways

I typically enjoy our amazing Long Island summer corn simply on the cob after boiling it for two minutes in salted water. No butter, no extra salt. It’s perfect. 🙂 But, I must admit that both of these dishes brought sweet corn to another level and were absolute crowd-pleasers.

The first dish, pictured above, is Ina Garten’s Chipotle Parmesan Sweet Corn. It was buttery and indulgent. We ate it as a side with grilled chicken. The second dish, photo below, is Mexican-Style Corn with Citrus Cream. I served it on a separate occasion as an appetizer with tortilla chips.

The Chipotle Parmesan Sweet Corn Recipe is from Ina Garten’s Cook Like a Pro: Recipes and Tips for Home Cooks via barefoot contessa.com. The Mexican-Style Corn with Citrus Cream recipe was adapted from Martha Stewart’s Everyday Food. The street corn had more of a spicy kick compared to the buttery chipotle corn.

Ina Garten’s Chipotle Parmesan Sweet Corn

Yield: Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish

• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 cup shallots, halved lengthwise, peeled, and thinly sliced crosswise (3 large shallots)
• 8 cups white or yellow corn kernels (8 to 12 ears) (I used 9)
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chile powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• freshly squeezed lime juice from 1 lime (about 2 T)
• 1 T freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1. Standing the cob upright inside the center of a medium to large shallow bowl, cut the corn kernels off of the cobs. (This prevents the kernels from scattering all over the counter.)
2. Heat the butter in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the shallots and cook for about 5 minutes, until tender and fragrant.
3. Add the corn, chipotle powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
4. Raise the heat to medium high and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally to allow the corn to brown lightly, until the corn is tender but still firm.
5. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice and Parmesan.
6. Taste for seasonings and transfer to a large shallow serving bowl. Serve hot.

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Martha Stewart’s Mexican-Style Corn with Citrus Cream

Yield: Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer

• 8 ears corn, husked and silks removed
• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 T fresh lime juice
• pinch or two cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 cup minced cilantro, or more, to taste
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup crumbled cotija or goat cheese
• tortilla chips, for serving

1. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high. Clean and lightly oil the hot grill.
2. Grill the husked corn cobs, turning occasionally, until kernels are tender and charred in spots, about 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine sour cream, lime juice, cayenne, chili powder, and cilantro in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
4. Cut off the tips of the grilled corn cobs and stand in a wide, shallow bowl. Using a sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cobs.
5. Combine the corn kernels with the sour cream mixture.
6. To serve, top with the crumbled goat cheese. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping, as desired.

Note: This dish can be served warm or at room temperature

Grilled Corn & Avocado Salad with Creamy Feta Dressing

I have a few side dishes to share showcasing sweet summer corn. The romaine lettuce base and generous sliced avocado and grilled corn topping made this a must try summer salad. I love salads with loads of toppings.

My entire family loves creamy blue cheese dressing (who doesn’t?), so I knew that a creamy feta dressing loaded with fresh herbs would be the icing on the cake.

This recipe was adapted from The New York Times, contributed by Sue Li. I only used half of the prepared dressing in the finished salad.

Yield: Serves 4 to 6

• 6 ears corn (about 3 pounds), shucked and silk removed
• 1 bunch scallions (about 6), trimmed
• 1 jalapeño
• 3 T olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
• 1/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 tsp freshly grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove, grated
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh chives
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1 medium head romaine lettuce, cut or torn into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)
• 2 avocados, sliced

1. Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high.
2. Brush corn, scallions and jalapeño with the oil and season with salt and pepper. (I didn’t oil the corn.)
3. Arrange on the grill and cook, turning occasionally, until corn kernels are browned in spots and the scallions and jalapeño are charred all over and tender, about 10 minutes, a little longer for the corn.
4. Transfer vegetables to a cutting board and let cool slightly.
5. When cool, remove charred jalapeño skin. Then remove the stem and seeds. Finely chop.
6. In a medium bowl, using a whisk, mash the feta into a coarse paste. Whisk in buttermilk, lemon zest and juice and garlic, then stir in chives, parsley, and charred jalapeño. Season with salt and pepper.
7. In a large bowl, toss lettuce with half the feta dressing and arrange on a platter or salad bowl.
8. Cut corn kernels off the cob and slice scallions into bite-size pieces.
9. Arrange avocado slices, corn and scallions on top of the lettuce. Serve with remaining dressing or add additional dressing, as desired. (I reserved 1/2 the dressing for another use.)

Mexican Street Corn Crostini

I was also able to celebrate my birthday on my special Charleston trip. 🙂 Although I enjoyed a lot of wonderful Southern food while I was there, my friends and I also went to Sean Brock’s Minero’s Restaurant for a Mexican birthday lunch. It was SO good.

Along with our various tacos, we had bowls of Mexican street corn which were absolutely delicious. I do plan on re-creating that dish, but for now these grilled corn crostini were another terrific variation. I made these as a Fourth of July appetizer. Unlike other crostini that have to be prepared at the last-minute, these are perfect to bring to a party or potluck because the topping can be placed on the ciabatta in advance.

This recipe was adapted from Bon Appetit. I toasted the ciabatta until it was nicely browned and increased the garlic on the toasted bread. Great!

Yield: Makes 12 crostini

• 2 ears corn, shucked
• 1 T vegetable oil
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 12 slices of ciabatta bread (I used most of a 1 lb. loaf, cut into 12 1/2-inch thick slices)
• 2 garlic cloves, cut in half
• 1/4 cup crema mexicana or sour cream
• 3 T crumbled feta
• lime wedge
• cilantro leaves
• chili powder

1. Rub corn with vegetable oil. Season corn with salt and freshly ground black pepper; grill until slightly charred and tender.
2. Slice corn off the cob in wide strips. (I grilled 3 ears just to ensure that I would have enough wide strips.)
3. Grill or toast the bread slices until uniformly browned. While still warm, rub the top of each slice with garlic.
4. Mix crema mexicana or sour cream with feta.
5. Smear toasts with crema mixture. Top crema with grilled corn.
6. Squeeze a lime wedge over each.
7. Garnish with cilantro leaves and sprinkle with chili powder.

One Year Ago:

• Warm Corn Chowder Salad with Bacon

Two Years Ago:

• 5-Minute Dips
• Grilled Radicchio

Three Years Ago:

• Bruschetta Rossa
• Catalan Tomato Bread
• Grilled Corn Salad

Grilled Corn & Poblano Dip

Spicy deliciousness!! This appetizer is reminiscent of our absolute favorite tacos which also have mildly spicy charred poblanos and tangy crème fraiche. The corn stands in for the corn tortilla in the tacos. The beautiful char on the grilled corn in this dish upgrades the sweet corn flavor. Leftover dip would work well as a taco filling itself- but we gobbled it all up with salty tortilla chips! 🙂

This recipe is from the Bon Appétit RSVP section- which I love. Readers write in to request recipes for their favorite restaurant dishes. This recipe was adapted from Pig & Prince in Montclair, New Jersey, via Bon Appétit. We grilled the corn and chiles and assembled the dish ahead of time. I transferred the mixture to the skillet and baked it right before serving. Wonderful!!

Yield: Serves 8

• 6 ears of corn, husked
• 4 poblano chiles
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated
• 8 ounces crème fraîche
• 8 ounces sour cream
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons hot sauce (such as Cholula or Sriracha)
• coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
• tortilla chips, for serving

1. Prepare a grill for medium-high heat. Grill corn, turning occasionally, until well charred, 10–12 minutes. Cut kernels from cobs and place in a large bowl.
2. Grill chiles, turning occasionally, until skins are blackened, 12–15 minutes. Transfer chiles to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let steam 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 450°. Remove skin, stems, and seeds from chiles; chop flesh into ¼” pieces. Add to bowl with corn.
4. Stir in scallions, garlic, crème fraîche, sour cream, lime juice, and 3 Tbsp. hot sauce; season with salt and pepper. (At this point the mixture can be reserved to bake just prior to serving.)
5. Transfer dip to a 10″ cast-iron skillet or 2-qt. baking dish and bake until bubbling around the edges, 10–12 minutes.
6. Serve with tortilla chips for dipping.

One Year Ago:

• Blueberry Margarita

Two Years Ago:

• Frozen Blackberry Margarita
• Oaxaca-Style Mushroom & Cheese Quesadillas

If you like this you may also like:

• Creamy Chicken and Greens with Roasted Poblano Tacos or Pollo a la Crema con Quelites, Chile Poblano Asado
• Corn Queso Fundido

Grilled Corn Salad

Growing up, I went to the beaches on the Delaware and Maryland shores with my family and with friends. We would always stop at a roadside farm stand to get Silver Queen corn on the drive to get there. It was the BEST fresh corn. I think that I’ve loved summer corn ever since. Long Island has some great fresh corn as well. 🙂 This is a wonderful and quick side dish for a summer meal, especially a grilled meal. The corn is really showcased. This is an adaptation and combination of recipes from Two Peas & Their Pod and Annie’s Cooking Lab. We used the leftover salad as part of a burrito filling, but it could also be eaten as a dip with tortilla chips. GREAT.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Cook Time: 20 minutes

• 4 ears fresh sweet corn
• 1/2 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 cup Campari and grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced
• 2 avocados, seed removed and chopped
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Shuck the corn. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then salt. Cook the corn in the salted boiling water for 2 minutes, then turn off the heat and quickly remove the corn from the water.
2. Place the corn on the grill and turn occasionally until a few of the kernels are blackened, about 8 to 12 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. 
3. Use a knife to remove the corn kernels and place them in a large bowl. Add the cilantro, jalapeño, red onion, tomatoes and lime juice. Carefully stir until combined. Salt and pepper to taste, then chill. Add avocado just prior to serving.