SUMMERTIME SWEET CORN

BY GEORGEANNE BRENNAN

White corn, yellow corn, bi-color corn, blue corn, red corn, baby corn—summer is the season for sweet corn—lots of it. I used to grow corn in my front yard potager garden, until I realized it not only took up lots of space and considerable water, but that just a few miles away, acres and acres of it were being grown, picked fresh every day and delivered to a nearby farm stand. After that discovery, I gave the corn’s garden space over to heirloom beans and tomatoes, buying my corn at the stand or a farmers’ market. Sweet as can be, locally grown corn, picked daily, is just as good as garden grown. 

Corn is a member of the grass family and originated in South America. Corn has long been a staple of the American table, but there is quite a difference in the flavor of the corn available to us today and the corn our grandparents and great grandparents savored. All sweet corn had been white until Burpee introduced Golden Bantam in 1902. The standard white corn of that era was Country Gentlemen. Both were “open-pollinated,” meaning that pollination occurred through insects, birds, wind or other natural occurrences and there were wild variations in taste and other characteristics. Additionally, the sugars contained in these corn varieties quickly turned to starch, hence the old saying, “Pick the corn right into the boiling water for the best flavor.” These open-pollinated varieties are still available, but many commercial growers today have opted for newer varieties, bred for specific, desired traits and able to be controlled for consistency. 

Modern breeders have developed sugar-enhanced and super sweet hybrid corns that are both very sweet and slow to convert to starch. One of the most popular of the sugar-enhanced types is Silver Queen, which has a beautiful long ear of tender white kernels and a flavor balanced between old-fashioned “corn flavor” and sweetness. Peaches n’ Cream and Honey n’ Cream are bi-color, sugar-enhanced hybrids with both white and yellow kernels. Ruby Queen is a relatively new sweet corn, and yes, the kernels are bright red, with a sweet corn taste. Blue corn, which is actually a “dent corn,” meant for drying and grinding, can be treated as a sweet corn when the kernels are still pale lavender. The flavor is corn-y and starchy. 

Whatever your preference—starchy sweet, or super sweet, summer is the time to enjoy corn simply on the cob or off the cob in more complex dishes. On the cob, you slather on butter, of course, and salt and pepper, but also try it “Mexican style” topped with Cojita cheese, chili powder and finished with a squeeze of lime, or with butter and Parmesan cheese. Off the cob, I like to make corn chowder, corn salsa and salads, and sautés with fresh lima beans and sweet peppers. One of my favorite summer preparations is corn fritters. 

Georgeanne Brennan is an award-winning cookbook author, journalist and teacher. Her most recent book is Gather, a compilation of memorable menus for entertaining throughout the seasons (Sasquatch Books, 2009). Georgeanne’s food writing appears regularly in the San Francisco Chronicle and she teaches weekend culinary adventures at her small farm in Northern California. For more information about Georgeanne and her work, visit www.georgeannebrennan.com.

SWEET CORN FRITTERS

These are easily made with corn cut from the cob, and when you cook them the kernels actually pop! Served topped with crème fraiche and a sprinkle of cilantro, they make a main dish that is the essence of the season.

Makes 12 to 16 fritters; serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

4 ears of corn—white, yellow or a mixture

1/4 medium onion, peeled

1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp kosher or sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 to 2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

TO PREPARE

Cut the kernels from the cob by holding each ear, base down, in a bowl and, with a sharp knife, cutting in downward strokes. Take care not to slice off any of the hard cob itself. Using a grater, grate the onion into a separate bowl. Using your hands, squeeze the grated onion until it is as dry as possible and add the “dried” onion to the bowl with the corn kernels. Sprinkle the flour over the corn and onion mix, then add the baking powder, half the salt and the pepper and mix all together. Add the egg and mix well.

In a frying pan over medium high heat, pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a pan by a scant 1/4 inch. When the oil is hot, drop the corn mixture by heaping teaspoons into the pan, about 1-inch apart. Press down gently with the back of a wooden spoon and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn and fry the other side, about 1 minute. Remove to a paper-towel lined platter to drain and keep warm. Repeat with the rest of the batter, adding more oil and reducing the heat if necessary.

To serve, sprinkle with the remaining salt and serve hot or warm. You may also top with a dollop of crème fraiche and chopped cilantro before serving.