Creamy Cilantro Sweet Corn Recipe

I'm not sure what it is about the combination of sweet corn and cilantro, but I love it.  In classic Summer spirit this recipe is refreshingly simple and takes minutes to make.  It goes great with burgers or barbecue or steaks.  Of course, because of the addition of cilantro it would be great with fajitas or tacos, too.   Basically, I plan to make this all summer long - with everything.

Creamy CilantroSweet Corn

6 ears of corn
2 tablespoons of butter
1/3 cup of heavy cream
2-3 ounces of cream cheese
2 teaspoons of sea salt (or more to taste)
1 big handful of cilantro, chopped

Cut kernels off ears of corn.  In a large saute pan, melt butter and cook corn for just 1 minute.  Add cream and cream cheese.  Stir on low heat until cream cheese melts smooth.  Add chopped cilantro and stir.  Serve warm.  Reheat on stovetop or in oven if making in advance.

I should've put the butter in first, but this worked fine too - I just kept the heat low until the butter melted.

Cream and cream cheese.  You can add more or less cream cheese depending on how rich you want it.



Be sure to add plenty of sea salt.  The very sweet corn needs the salt.  The more cilantro the better - because it is a warm dish, it looses some of its potency.  Add more right before serving if you want to up the cilantro factor.

It is so good.  It reminds me of a ravioli we had in Vermont last fall that had a creamy corn sauce with ricotta ravioli.  Ok, now I have an idea for lunch with my leftovers : )

Summer Vegetable, Sweet Corn & Chicken Chowder

Last week during Emma's summer break we were treated with storms here - almost everyday.  Typically a big bowl of soup doesn't sound fabulous during the first week of summer, but when the rain was coming down in buckets, this fresh sweet corn chowder packed with vegetables was a comforting dinner. 

The soup was inspired by a lunch date Emma and I had at Classic Cup (as in... she fell asleep in the stroller while we were shopping, so I actually got to sit an enjoy lunch!).  They called theirs a Green Chile Chicken Chowder and served it with tortilla chips.  I combined that soup with one of my favorite Barefoot recipes for Lobster Corn Chowder, that uses corn cobs to sweeten and thicken the soup... and added lots of vegetables.  So really, it is nothing like either soup... but the result was very good, and rather healthy.

I'm so glad to finally have peonies gracing my table!  I found these at the Brookside Farmer's Market on Saturday - not my favorite varieties or colors, but any peony will do!

Summer Vegetable
Sweet Corn Chowder


2 Chicken Breasts (skin-on/bone-in)
olive oil
salt & pepper
....
2 tablespoons of olive oil
3 carrots, peeled, small dice
2 celery ribs, peeled, small dice
1 small white onion, small dice
1 sm can chopped green onion
1 sm can of diced tomatoes
4 cups of chicken broth
4 cups of water
4 ears of sweet corn
Sea Salt
.....
1 small zucchini
1 small yellow squash
cilantro

On a baking sheet, drizzle the chicken with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes at 350 until cooked through.  Remove from oven and let cool.  When cool, remove meat and shred into bite-size pieces.





In a large stock pot, saute onions, carrots and celery in olive oil until soft.  Add green chiles, tomatoes, chicken broth and water.  Season with 1 tablespoon of sea salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.  Bring to a simmer.



Cut corn kernels off of cobs and add cobs and half of corn kernels.  Reserve the other half of the kernels to add just before serving.  Continue simmering the soup uncovered for 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.  (I later added a 4th cob per the recipe, after I took this photo!)



Before serving, add shredded chicken, zucchini, squash and reserved corn.  Simmer until vegetables are tender. 

Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed.  Garnish with cilantro for serving.

Grilled Tomato, Goat Cheese, Fresh Sweet Corn & Basil Appetizer

I'm always looking for new fresh ways to serve our favorites - Tomatoes, Sweet Corn & Basil.  During the summer we get tired of just sliced tomatoes and corn on the cob - somehow - though it seems impossible right now.  This little appetizer is an amazing combo of everything we love.  Grilling the tomato adds a slight smokiness, and warms the goat cheese, offset by the cold and crunchy sweet corn kernels and fresh basil.  Though I don't always serve plated starters when we have friends for dinner, sometimes I come across something so special, it is worth washing the extra dish.  You can also serve this as a traditional shared appetizer if you cut it into wedges and serve it with grilled bread... which I think I'll do for a party this Friday.  

 Grilled Tomato, Goat Cheese, 
Fresh Sweet Corn & Basil Appetizer


4 thick slices of tomato - firm enough to grill
1/2 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
1 clove of garlic
1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
4 ounces of goat cheese
1 ear of sweet corn, kernels cut off
2 tablespoons of basil

Place the 4 slices of tomato on a pan or plate ready to go to the grill.  In a small bowl make the brushing liquid by stirring together oil, lemon juice, vinegar garlic salt and pepper.  Brush on both sides of the tomato.

Grill tomato for 2 minutes, then flip.  After flipping, top tomato with goat cheese (a little goes a long way...) and more of the lemon garlic oil.  Grill for 2-3 more minutes until the goat cheese is warm and soft.  Remove from the grill.  Plate and sprinkle on fresh corn cut from the cob and basil.  Drizzle on more of the lemon garlic liquid.

Grilled Corn on the Cob | Summer Sweet Corn

Is there anything better than sweet corn?  Here in Massachusetts the season is toward the end of July to August, but back home in Kansas City sweet corn is perfectly timed (most years...) for the 4th of July.

For years, my sister and I would sell sweet corn from our front yard that we had picked and shucked ourselves... similar to a lemonade stand, but people would actually stop.  We spent many summer days under a tree in our backyard with my Mom, Nancy and Granny while we shucked corn to "put up."  Pops (my grandpa) talks about eating 10-12 ears in one sitting when he was a boy. 



At home, it seems that there is a fondness surrounding sweet corn- maybe it is the simplicity of being able to grow something that is perfect in its most basic form?  Or maybe that it always feels like the official start of Summer, just as "mushroom season" (morels) is the official start of Spring? 

I'll admit, this "Grilled Sweet Corn" is not how we prepare corn at home, but it is a great shortcut for me to throw it on the grill with the rest of dinner instead of heating up a big pot of boiling water on a hot day.  And it is delicious.

Grilled
Sweet Corn


Sweet Corn on the Cob with Husks
Melted Butter
Sea Salt

Begin by pulling back the husks, but do not remove them.  Remove all of the silk from the corn and husk.  Soak them in water for 10 minutes. Remove from the water then brush the melted butter on the corn and then sprinkle with salt.  Pull the husks back over the corn.

Place them on a grill for 15 minutes to 25 minutes, depending on the corn and the heat of the grill.

If you need a little inspiration, here is a great summer meal with Sliced Flank Steak with a Chimichurri Sauce, slice heirloom tomatoes and avocados.

Fresh Sweet Corn Chowder Recipe

My parents live in the country surrounded by a corn field.  Every year my Mom asks my Dad to plant 'a couple' of rows of sweet corn on the border of the 'field corn' field that borders their yard. (For those of you that don't know, field corn is a hardier corn, different than the sweet corn we eat.)  Every year my Dad plants 12 rows of corn around the house.  The result is a truck-load full (literally) of sweet corn.

While this used to be a profitable side business for my sister and I growing up, no one else seems to want to spend hours and hours picking corn in 100 degree July/August to make an extra $50... for the week.  Instead, my parents make some phone calls and let their friends and neighbors know that "the corn is ready, come pick what much you need. Please!" 

Nevertheless, my parents still have buckets and buckets of corn.  When you've tired of corn on the cob and you've "put up" (meaning cooked and frozen or canned) enough for the entire year, what else can you do with all of that corn? 

As a new New England resident, I decided to combine my two worlds : Midwest Sweet Corn & New England Chowder...

Fresh Corn Chowder  

6 ears of fresh corn (reserve some for garnishing)

3 slices bacon, chopped, browned

1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour  

14-ounce can chicken broth

6 small red potatoes, diced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 1/2 cups half and half (or heavy cream)

fresh basil for garnish

Begin by cutting the kernels of off the fresh corn cobs by standing the cobs on end and running a sharp knife along the cob.  

Recipes | Grilled Flat Iron Steak, Grilled Bread con Tomate & Grilled Corn with Basil, Lemon & Garlic Vinaigrette

This weekend we had a late dinner at Michael Smith's Extra Virgin in Kansas City's Crossroad District. It was fabulous. We started with a Lobster & Churizo Fried Rice, then had an excellent seared flat iron steak, Panna Con Tomate (Grilled Bread with Tomato) and ended our night with fresh fried donuts drizzled in chocolate. So delicious.

For tonight's dinner, I wanted to try a couple of these items for a fresh late summer Labor Day Weekend meal.

Grilled Flat Iron Steak

Grilled Corn on the Cob with Basil, Lemon & Garlic Vinaigrette

Sliced Avocado

Grilled Bread with Fresh Tomato Puree

The bread, in my opinion, was the star of the show.

1 soft baguette (I find these in the bakery section at the grocery - they are partially baked that you finish baking at home)

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tomato

1 clove of garlic

parmesan cheese

I pureed a tomato in my new mini food processor and let the liquid drain out by placing it in a paper towel lined colander. I drizzled a (soft) baguette with olive oil, then grilled it face down for about 3 minutes. After I removed it from the grill, I rubbed a garlic clove over the grilled side of the bread, then topped it with the tomato puree and some parmesan.