Jar B Que, Zuni Creamed Corn

Shumon had stopped by for dinner. We made a Tomato and Bread Soup from a new recipe. I won't include the recipe, because we decided it wasn't as good as the Pappa al Pomodoro from the Italian Country Cookbook by Rodgers and Gray,  that we love. You can get the recipe for our favorite tomato soup from our blog of: August 26, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

For the main course we made Char Shu Pork Chops from Jar Restaurant. I LOVE this recipe. You can find it in our blog of: July 30, 2012. It is fantastic! We accompanied the pork with Zuni Creamed Corn, from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers, definitely another keeper of a recipe. 

Creamed Corn

The Zuni Café Cookbook

Judy Rodgers

Simple and very rich. A spoonful with a few grilled or sautéed shrimp makes a nice appetizer. Pick out the youngest ears of corn in the bin, those with small, juicy kernels. They are fairly tender to start with and need little more than heat­ing through.

This recipe includes a basic technique for shaving fresh corn kernels from the cob. Your goal is to harvest the rounded tips of the kernels, leaving most of the tough kernel casing behind, while still capturing all the sweet juice.

You can substitute creme fraiche for the mascarpone; the result will be silkier and a little less sweet.

FOR 4 SERVINGS AS A SIDE DISH, 6 TO 8 AS PART OF AN APPETIZER:   -

·      3 cups scraped corn kernels and their

·      milky juice (see method below]

·      (6 to 12 ears young corn, depending on size and condition)

·      Scant 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

·      Salt

·      A little water, as needed

·      Up to 1/2 cup mascarpone, at room temperature

·      Freshly cracked black pepper

Scraping the corn: Shuck the corn and remove all the silk. Trim the tip of each cob, but don't break off the stalk-it makes a convenient handle. Holding the cob at an angle, position the knife blade flat against each ear and slide it smoothly down the length of the ear-don't cut too close to the cob. Rotate the ear a little after each swipe, until you have harvested all of the tips of the kernels. Now, scrape the whole cob, this time with the dull side of the knife, to force out the milky juice at the base of each kernel. Since the corn tends to fly and the juice splatter as you scrape, you may want to contain this inconvenience by setting up the operation in a wide bowl, tub, or shallow roasting pan. Holding the dull side nearly flat against the stripped cob will direct most of the juice into the vessel instead of onto your kitchen walls.

Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, add the corn and a pinch of salt, and stir with a spatula as you slowly heat the corn through. If the corn is at all dry, flick in a little water with your fingertips and stir as it steams. Taste a kernel of corn-if it isn't very tender, add water by the spoonful and stir as the corn cooks to tenderness. Once the corn is tender, stir in mascarpone, a few spoonfuls at a time, to taste. Serve just as it tries to bubble at the edge of the pan. Top with pepper.