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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Corn on the Cob

Excellent Ingredient of the Week
Yes, good old corn — you can eat it a million different ways. Elote is the Mexican name for corn on the cob. Corn on the cob is a popular street food in Mexico, although they are frequently served at home prepared in the same way. In Mexico, Chicago, and the southern U.S., it is customary to consume elotes on a stick, or by grasping the husk of the cob that has been pulled down to make a kind of handle. Condiments such as salt, chili powder, butter, cheese, lemon juice or lime juice, mayonnaise, and sour cream (or crema) are usually added to the elote. Lemon pepper seasoning is popular as a condiment in Texas. I used to buy Mexican corn on a stick from the cart that came down my street in Chicago — same cart did mango on a stick in summer time... mmmm... Anyway, getting back to corn, I think grilling is the best but here is an interesting alternative... deep-fried, battered corn on the cob!

Ingredients
Oil for deep frying
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup flour
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg
peeled and cleaned corn on the cob
1 cup crushed cornflake crumbs

Procedure
In deep fat fryer or heavy saucepan, heat oil to 375°F. In medium bowl, combine cornmeal, Parmesan cheese, flour, garlic salt, milk, oil and egg; mix well. Dip corn-on-the-cob ears into cornmeal batter to coat; roll in cornflake crumbs. Fry in hot oil 2 to 3 minutes or until light golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.

Some things you can flavor your corn with besides Parmesan cheese are: curry powder; goat cheese; chipotle; a little maple syrup; some cumin... need I go on? Of course, you can just boil them in water with some milk and a little sugar for about 7 minutes which is pretty hard to beat. The important thing to remember about corn is the sooner you cook it after you buy it, the better it will be.