{"id":1600,"date":"2009-07-08T08:18:35","date_gmt":"2009-07-08T15:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/?p=1600"},"modified":"2009-07-08T08:18:35","modified_gmt":"2009-07-08T15:18:35","slug":"grilled-corn-mexican-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/grilled-corn-mexican-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Grilled corn, Mexican style"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"corn1\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

No matter how fashionable it may be to disparage corn as the bane of the American diet, I look forward all year to sweet corn season.\u00a0\u00a0 That’s sweet as in the addictive flavor of fresh corn on the cob, not as in the high fructose corn syrup that lurks in the background of so many processed foods.<\/p>\n

A freshly picked ear right out of the pot of boiling water or straight off the grill invariably\u00a0 takes me back to the summers of my childhood, when corn on the cob was the star of every cookout.\u00a0 I love biting off the plump kernels and crunching them between my teeth to release a flood of sweet, milky juice.\u00a0 It’s messy, primal eating and it still makes me happy.<\/p>\n

When the corn is only hours off the stalk, it really needs nothing more than a little salt and pepper to shine. Even melted butter, as satisfying as it always is, could be considered gilding.<\/p>\n

Corn from the supermarket, though, tends to be a little older, a little tougher and often more starchy than sweet.\u00a0 It usually needs a little help.\u00a0 That’s when butter is essential.<\/p>\n

\"corn\"Lately, I’ve been grilling corn in the style of Mexican street vendors. It’s perfect for those ears that are not quite as tender as you would like. The lime juice, garlic, chile powder, and grated cheese give the flavor of corn on the cob a real boost.<\/p>\n

Don’t be put off by the fact that the recipe substitutes a thin coat of mayonnaise for butter. The mayo helps all the other ingredients stick and the combination\u00a0 tastes terrific.<\/p>\n

To get the freshest available corn, choose ears that are well filled out, with fat, juicy kernels.\u00a0 Avoid any with dry or wrinkled kernels.\u00a0 The silk between husk and ear also should be soft and moist.<\/p>\n

Mexican cheese is readily available in supermarkets where I live in Northern California, but you can substitute a mild feta if you can’t find cotija<\/em> where you live.\u00a0 Some people like to use Parmesan.\u00a0 The cheese should be dry, crumbly and fairly salty.<\/p>\n

If your corn is a bit tough, soak the ears, still in their husks, in cold water for an hour or more, then grill them \u2013 husk and all \u2013 for 10 or 15 minutes.\u00a0 Let cool until they’re comfortable to handle and then proceed with the recipe.\u00a0\u00a0 The steaming makes them more tender.<\/p>\n

Que aproveche!<\/em><\/p>\n

GRILLED CORN MEXICANO<\/strong>
\nServes 4<\/em><\/p>\n

4 ears of corn in the husk
\nExtra virgin olive oil
\n\u00bd cup good quality mayonnaise
\nJuice of 1 lime
\n1 clove garlic, minced
\n1 cup grated cotija<\/em> or mild feta cheese
\nAncho chile powder or other pure ground chile
\nSalt and pepper to taste<\/p>\n

Peel back the husks from the corn, careful to leave the soft inner leaves attached to the ears.\u00a0 The husks will serve as a handle for the grilled corn and you may wish to tie them with kitchen twine, but it isn’t necessary.\u00a0 Strip off all the silk from the corn.\u00a0 Brush ears with olive oil and set aside while the grill heats.<\/p>\n

In the meantime, stir together the mayonnaise, lime juice and garlic, adding a little water if necessary to thin to the consistency of heavy cream.<\/p>\n

Grill corn over medium high heat, placing the ears on the grill so the husks extend over the edge and away from the fire.\u00a0 Cook, turning often, for 10-15 minutes, until corn is nicely browned with a few charred places.<\/p>\n

Remove corn from grill.\u00a0 With a pastry brush, paint a thin layer of the seasoned mayonnaise over each ear.\u00a0 Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with cheese,\u00a0 dust with chile powder and serve.<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

No matter how fashionable it may be to disparage corn as the bane of the American diet, I look forward all year to sweet corn season.\u00a0\u00a0 That’s sweet as in the addictive flavor of fresh corn on the cob, not as in the high fructose corn syrup that lurks in the background of so many … Continue reading Grilled corn, Mexican style<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1600","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1600"}],"version-history":[{"count":40,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1676,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1600\/revisions\/1676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1600"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skilletchronicles.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}