This corn side dish from the September 2009 issue of Gourmet magazine caught my eye right away. It’s officially called “Cheesy Creamed Corn with Cilantro” but I omitted the cilantro because we had a guest that night who doesn’t like the taste. Cilantro seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it herbs, doesn’t it? I mean, it has its own I Hate Cilantro website for Pete’s sake! I’m pretty sure I’ve never come across an “I hate basil” or “I hate cumin” website . . .
While I personally like cilantro just fine, I have to say this recipe was really good even without it. The sweet corn pairs very nicely with the bright, tangy cheese, and the scallions round out the flavor and give it some much-needed color. This is a perfect side dish to pair with a spicier main (the magazine pairs it with Chipotle chicken, which I also made and will post later, it was wonderful!) and to use up all that wonderful corn that’s overflowing this time of year! The heavy rains in the NE have been really good for the corn, so we’re seeing record low prices on corn in NYC: yesterday it was 5 for $1 at Whole Foods! That means you can make this side dish to feed 6-8 people for about $8. And even less if you choose a less-expensive cheese!
I love the look of scallions!
What creamed corn recipe would be complete without starting with some melted butter? I happened to have found fancy butter on sale, so I used “the good stuff” for this recipe. Isn’t it amazing what a difference in taste there can be in basic ingredients like butter and cream? This Plugra butter is so good, I eat a bit of it straight from the wrapper every time I cook with it. I just can’t help myself!
The scallions are cooked in the butter first.
The last few steps are as easy as sauteing the corn, pureeing some of it and adding it back into the rest, and topping with cheese to serve.
I liked that this creamed corn wasn’t too creamy and retained that fresh SUMMER flavor that fresh corn has. To me, “creamed corn” conjures up cold-weather meals, not summer, so I was happy to see that this one was more bright and flavorful than comforting. Although if you like fresh corn half as much as I do, this will certainly provide plenty of comfort, too!
Cheesy Creamed Corn
Modified from Gourmet Magazine September 2009
This recipe says it feeds 6 people but I think it could actually feed more than that. 12 ears of corn is a lot of corn for 6 people! We had 5 and only ate about half the batch, but I did cook too many side dishes so I think everyone ate a bit less than a full person’s serving.
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups chopped scallions
- 12 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 2 large garlic cloves
- 6 oz queso fresco (or substitute mild feta), crumbled
In deep large heavy skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then cook scallions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together cream and cornstarch until thoroughly combined. Add mixture to corn and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Transfer about 1 1/2 cups corn mixture to a bowl and add garlic. Blend with immersion blender until smooth (be careful, it’ll be hot!). If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or a food processor.
Return blended corn mixture to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until just heated through and combined with whole corn mixture. Just before serving, sprinkle cheese on top.
