Saturday, August 26, 2017

The Lazy Lady’s Guide to Super-easy Corn Toppings





It’s been a late season for corn in our area (too much rain and not enough sun), but that corn is here now!  At every highway crossroads you can buy wonderful corn picked that morning.  What’s not to love?  We are partial to the bi-color, such as peaches and cream.

Corn is so easy and makes most people happy when they eat it.  At the beginning, we enjoyed it with butter and salt, but as the season wears on, we want a little variety. But we don’t want a lot of fussy work or piles of hard-to-find find ingredients.  We’ve picked toppers with from one to three ingredients. Of course, you’re free to add and subtract.  Assume butter and salt for all of these.

Here's one way to cook your corn: Get the freshest corn you can. If you can get corn picked that day, you are in for a real treat. Choose a pot large enough to hold the amount of corn you want to cook. Add enough water to cover the corn. Do NOT salt. On the stop top, cover the pot and bring the water just to a boil. Add your husked corn and bring the water back to a boil, about 3 or 4 minutes to bring the water back to a boil.  Remove corn immediately! 


The Lazy Lady’s Guide to Super-easy Corn Toppings

All of these assume that you have hot, cooked corn ready to top!  Have fun, kids. You will notice that MJ's friends have given her several set of doxie corn holders. What's not to love?



Topping number 1:  Butter, chives and sea salt. 



Bring 1 stick of butter to room temperature. Chop fresh chives and mix with butter. Roll butter/chive mixture in wax paper and twist ends. Tuck into fridge or freezer until it solidifies again. 


Cut into circles and top hot cooked corn. Spread butter around and add a bit of sea salt.  This is my absolute favorite.  By the way, the butter and chives will keep in your freezer and be there when you need them for potatoes, corn or whatever you choose.  



Topping number 2:  Maple syrup and grainy Dijon. This is the marinade we use for grilled salmon. Turns out it suits corn very well too. 

Pour equal parts maple syrup and grainy Dijon in a dish. Add sea salt to taste.   

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Mix well.  Pour or spread over cooked corn.  



Topping number 3  Parmesan cheese.
 
Spread out some Parmesan cheese on a pie plate or flat plate. Roll cooked, buttered corn in Parmesan.





Topping 4 and 5 are one-ingredient toppers!  Unfortunately, these were eaten before a picture could be taken!  Use those imaginations. 

Topping number 4: Goat cheese with herbs.

All you need is one package of herbed goat cheese. Spread your cooked corn with goat cheese.  

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Topping number 5:  Hot red pepper jelly.  Slather fresh hot corn with spicy jelly.  The corn can have butter and salt first if you like, but the jelly alone will give it plenty of zip.

There you are. Five easy topping for corn. They are all delicious and (ahem!) quite messy.  Stock up on paper napkins! 

Was this post just too corny?  Come by and tell us what you think about these easy toppings. What do you like to add to corn?   Maybe you prefer your corn as is. There are not rules, only fun in the kitchen and at the table.

We’re considering having all these options on the outdoor table for a Labor Day Barbecue.  Of course, we say Labour Day in these parts.


In case you don't know, Victoria Abbott is a collaboration between  me, Mary Jane Maffini, and my daughter Victoria. Together we write the book collector mysteries.   We think that reading them is like taking a lovely trip to a mysterious place where books are everything and, yes, murder happens and great meals are served and some relatives are not to be trusted. Of course, justice prevails in the end and books are loved.

 


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6 comments:

  1. Too corny? Ha!

    A few years ago I found a suggestion in a magazine (I think--I forget where) for cooking corn. Shuck each ear, wrap in a wet paper towel, and place in your microwave (you can do multiple ears at once). Zap on full power for one minute per ear. It works!

    I'm a fan of lots of butter as a topping, although all these sound good. But I've been known to put butter on almost anything (graham crackers?), so I may be biased.

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  2. I'm with you on butter, Sheila! Always love it best. Hugs. MJ

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  3. I've done the microwave thing, too--only I put mine in a glass baking dish, add a splash of water, cover with Saran that you've put a slit or two in. Microwave about two minutes per ear. I have to confess to being a little weird--I eat my corn "neat" -- no butter, no salt, just the fresh corn. I could literally eat it every day during the summer.

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  4. We often grill corn (leave in the husks)on the BBQ; soaking it first in water until husks are wet- about 20 minutes. Then grill a total of 15 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times. Thanks for the topping ideas MJ, they all sound delicious!
    Nancy R

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  5. I LOVE your topping ideas! We often grill the ears outside, or if it's just the two of us I nuke the cobs in the microwave, so simple and quick. And mostly eat it with butter, salt & pepper for me. On festive occasions I've sprinkled with Parmesan, and also have tried it with cayenne or red pepper flakes and lime juice for some zing. Only once have I done them Mexican Street Corn style, grilled then topped with mayo,sour cream,garlic and chili powder, cojita & lime juice. Tastes terrific, but what a production! Anyway, thanks for the new inspiration! Labor Day is next weekend, so will experiment with several of your variations. Yum, can't wait!

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  6. Yum all around.
    A party assortment sounds delightful.

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