Mexican Street Corn Off the Cob

Eckert’s sweet corn is at its very best this week. Each night when we eat corn around the dinner table, I say “this is the best corn I have had all summer.” Then my kids tease me by saying “you say that every night Mom!” Oh but it is true this week! Each ear seems to taste better than the last.

We are corn purists in our house, meaning we don’t usually add much to our corn. The kids and I like ours with a small pat of butter and a light sprinkling of salt, while Chris prefers his completely unseasoned. When cooking fresh corn in the husk, just 90 seconds per ear in the microwave does the trick. If I am cooking four ears of corn, I set the microwave for six minutes. After removing the corn from the microwave, I let it rest for 3-5 minutes before shucking it under cold running water. This is my go-to method for cooking corn almost every summer evening.

Last night, I wanted to try something a little different. A few months back we held a Food Truck Inspired Cooking Class in the Belleville Country Store. The star recipe of the night was Mexican Street Corn (on the cob). Lana, our culinary expert, made me an ear and it was so delish, I have been thinking about it ever since. I wanted to repeat the recipe but try cutting the corn off the cob for a less messy eating experience.

Cheese, sour cream and mayo in this recipe add creamy richness to compliment the juicy sweet corn. And while I am usually a “clean” corn eater, this recipe makes me want to finish the whole dish all by myself. I hope you will give it a try soon and let me know what you think!

Eat well this summer,

Angie

Mexican Street Corn Off the Cob
½ cup mayonnaise
3 Tbs. sour cream
3 Tbs. minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 medium Eckert’s garlic clove, minced
1 tsp. chili powder, divided
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
4 tsp. lime juice, plus lime wedges for serving
½ cup (1-ounce) grated Ménage or Pecorino Romano cheese
2 to 3 Tbs. vegetable oil
½ tsp. kosher salt
6 ears Eckert’s sweet corn, husked

Adjust oven rack 5 inches from broiler element. Preheat broiler. Line rimmed baking pan with foil. While broiler is heating, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, garlic, ½ teaspoon chili powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, lime juice and cheese in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, salt and the remaining ½ teaspoon chili powder. Place corn on the cob on foil lined pan, drizzle with oil mixture and turn ears to coat evenly. Broil corn until well-browned on each side, about 5 to 6 minutes per side. Remove corn from oven and cool 10 minutes. Using a knife or corn stripper, cut corn from the cob. Use the back of the knife to extract the “corn milk” from the cob. Add corn and “milk” to the large bowl with mayonnaise mixture and combine. Pour corn mixture into a small oven safe baking dish. Place dish under broiler 5-6 minutes or until the corn is lightly browned about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve corn with lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

Makes 6 servings.