Corn has ears and we’d all better sneak up on it as rapidly as possible. Because of all the excessive rainfall we’ve had this summer, farmers haven’t been able to get into the fields to plant as many successive crops as usual. Ken Schmitt, president of the Long Island Farmers Association, predicts shortages of corn from time to time because of the planting gaps.
Naturally, this means that when there’s a scarcity in the market it will cost more, though we can take solace in the fact that there's been no diminution of quality, only quantity. Judging from supplies on the farmstands all along the Montauk Highway, the shortage hasn’t hit as yet and we can still sample quite a few different varieties.
Connoisseurs can peck around the platinum-kerneled Silver Queen, bi?colored Sweet Sue, and Honey & Cream. There’s also an all-yellow variety called Kandy Korn that I find cloyingly sweet, but it has its champions too.
Universally Enjoyed
Sugar-extender traits have been developed in certain hybrids that slow the conversion of sugar to starch, which happens with the speed of summer lightning once the ears are pulled from the stalks. Corn should be eaten as soon after picking as possible. It should be refrigerated between the point of sale and the pot if at all possible. (I take along a Styrofoam cooler with an ice pack in it when I go on corn-buying expeditions.) Coolness slows the sugar conversion and preserves the fragile tenderness of the kernels. Never buy corn that has been lying in the sun.
Corn must be one of the most universally enjoyed foods on the earth. Indeed, it has been cultivated and hybridized since ancient times in Mexico and botanists have never been able to find corn in a truly wild state.
So many varieties have been developed in this country that aficionados could probably sample a different kind every week during the season. Besides “on the cob,” which most of us never tire of, there are wonderful dishes to be made from the precious grain.
Spicy Corn Salad
Jalapenos add zip to this dish but the hot chile can be omitted and you will still have a delicious, though blander, salad. Serves four to six.
8 to 10 ears bi-colored corn
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1 small red sweet pepper, cut in 1/4-inch dice
1 small yellow sweet pepper, cut in 1/4-inch dice
3 Tbsp. red onion, finely diced
2 Tsp. balsamic vinegar
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. minced cilantro (fresh coriander)
With a small, sharp knife cut the kernels from the cobs, separating any that stick together. Heat the olive oil in a large saute pan and add the corn, stirring it well to coat evenly with the oil. Add the water and raise the heat and cook until the water boils off; this will only take a few minutes. Turn the corn into a bowl to cool, then add all the remaining ingredients and mix together thoroughly. Sprinkle with the cilantro.
No Cholesterol Corn Pudding
Jerry Wexler, a record producer and connoisseur of good food who summers in East Hampton, was recently ordered to lower his cholesterol. With the help of his cook, Jerry worked out this delicious pudding, which is made with absolutely no butter, eggs, or cream. Serves eight.
12 ears corn
2 cartons “Egg Beaters” (egg substitute)
2 Tbsp. margarine
2 Tbsp. flour
Nutmeg
1 Tbsp. margarine
Cut the kernels off the ears of corn and separate them with your fingers. Mix them into the two cartons of “Egg Beaters." Melt the two tablespoons of margarine in a heavy saucepan, then stir in the flour to make a roux. Beat in the skim milk until you have a smooth, thin sauce. Blend this with the corn mixture and pour it into a two-quart casserole which has been greased with margarine.
Set the casserole in an underpan of boiling water and bake in a 325-degree oven for about one-and-a-half hours or until a silver knife inserted in the center comes out more or less clean. Grate a dusting of nutmeg over the top of the pudding and dot the surface with bits of margarine. Return the casserole to the oven to bake for a further 10 minutes.
Corn Soup With Roasted Red Peppers
Corn kernels are about as unbiodegradable as filter tips, especially as they mature, so use young fresh corn and don’t slice too deeply into the cob. Although this is a rich-tasting soup, it has relatively small amounts of butter and cream. Serves six.
3 cups fresh corn kernels
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
4 cups water
Salt and white pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 large ripe red sweet pepper
Try to restrain yourself from adding any of those herbs running riot in your garden. The pure, sweet taste of corn is what the soup should have, accented with the faintly smoked taste and brilliant color of the pepper. Gently melt the butter and turn the corn around in it. Add the water, bring to a simmer, stirring, then add the salt and pepper and cook for two minutes. Stir in the cream, turn off the heat, and let the soup cool slightly.
Meanwhile, roast the pepper on an open flame holding it on a long fork. Put it in a paper bag (or towels) for five minutes, then scrape off the blackened skin and discard the seeds and pith. (Do not rinse it — that’s throwing out the flavor with the rinse water.) Cut the pepper into dice.
Puree half the soup in a food processor and press this through a sieve. Return the puree to the pot with the remaining soup and stir it in. Heat to simmer, divide among the heated bowls, and float the diced pepper bits on the soup’s surface. If you prefer a smoother soup, puree all of it.
