Summer Corn Carbonara

Summer Corn Carbonara, MZN

Put pasta water on to boil. Chop 6 slices of BACON in bite-sized pieces, saute until fat has been rendered and the pieces are slightly crispy. Add 1/2 an ONION, finely chop and cook in the bacon fat until golden. Turn the heat down to low.

Remove kernels from 3 ears of CORN with a sharp knife - by standing each ear on its tip and gliding your knife down, parallel to the ear of corn - essentially nicking the tops off of each kernel. Then with the edge of a spoon, scrape down the length of each ear of corn, gathering what I call 'corn mush.' This 'mush' contains the richest flavors of corn, so scrape away until the ears are dry. This can be messy, but being especially diligent has great rewards. Add the kernels and mush to the pan with bacon and onion and warm through, being sure to scrape up all the goodness that crisping bacon leaves behind, then turn off the heat.

In a bowl, beat together 2 EGGS, 1/4 cup of grated PARMESAN, 1/8 cup of HEAVY CREAM, and PEPPER.

Cook the SPAGHETTI in salted water, checking about 2 minutes before it's al dente and remove 1/4 cup of pasta water, before draining. Turn the pan with the bacon on high and add the pasta to the pan, tossing to coat, adding some pasta water if necessary to keep the pasta from sticking together. Once the pan is hot again, remove from heat and add the egg mixture, tossing everything until the spaghetti is evenly coated in the carbonara. Top with GROUND NUTMEG and GROUND BLACK PEPPER.




Serves Two.

Tuesday Teaser: "Tricorn Tomato Salad"

Since I'm due to taste test my zucchini recipe on a friend tomorrow (that's you, Lori!) and I'm super impatient to share my "summer salivations," here's a quickie:

No recipe, as such, is necessary for this dish. My summer days are lovely and long, so I've committed to making up a picnic dinner to take to our community garden once a week. This past week the night was coming and rainy clouds threatened, so we took our party to the roof in case we had to make a mad dash. Here's one of the "throw-together and throw downs" that I made for my sweetie.

Tricorn Tomato Salad

Serves two, generously

1 ripe heirloom or other tasty red tomato (sans most seeds, as they are hard on the digestion)
2 ears of corn, raw
Basil
S&P

Chop the tomato. Toss with kernels removed from ears of corn. Chiffonade some basil (be generous - when all is said and done, you should clearly smell the basil over the tomato and corn - I used several small handfuls). Add salt and pepper, to taste.

My Weekend So Far...

Photo By Mozart's Nose

Summer's Creamed Corn

Photo by: Mozart's Nose

A couple weeks ago I got my first ears of corn from my CSA farm. Orginally I'm from the South - Virginia to be specific - so I have exacting standards when it comes to sweet corn. I'm particularly partial to white corn, though its tricky to find the variety that has a taste profile beyond sweet.  I still want my corn to taste like corn. Yellow corn typically has more "corn" flavor however, nowadays you should avoid yellow corn varieties as they are typically developed for animal feed. Thus they dry well, this makes the kernel tougher for our systems to digest, thus reducing the availability of nutrients.  So if you aren't familiar with cultivars that are developed for fresh eating rather than feed, stick to white varieties.

I'm not sure which cultivar my CSA farm has put in for this years crop, but its pretty perfect in its sugar to flavor balance.  So it makes the perfect creamed corn. Oh and if you have to add sugar or other sweetener to your creamed corn, get different corn!

Summer's Creamed Corn

Serves 4 (as a side dish)

6 ears of corn
1-2 T quality butter (I use Strauss European Style)
1/3 c. minced onion
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper (or to taste)
1/2 c. creme fraiche (If you enjoy a thicker creamer corn, I recommend using sour cream)

 ~Soften minced onion in 1-2 T butter and add the white pepper, while removing corn kernels and "cream"
~To remove the kernels and cream: Use a paring knife to cut off the tops of each kernel.  I stand them on end (in a shallow, but wide container) and run my knife down the length of the ear.  You just want to graze the tops, any deeper and you'll have less "cream" and it can be a tougher "chew" when the creamed corn is served. Then to remove the cream, once again hold then on end and with a spoon, face down, scrape the ear to remove the creamy insides of each kernel.
~ Add the corn to the onions and stir until back up to temperature, reduce the heat to low and cook for five minutes, allowing the flavors to mix.
~ Add the creme fraiche, cook until warmed.
~ Salt the creamed corn, to taste*

*If you want to add a little "Je Nous Se Qua", use truffle salt in place of regular salt.