corn Archives - The Midnight Baker

Mexican Street Corn Soup

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 00:00:46 +0000

Mexican street corn soup is winter’s answer to the original summer specialty.

Mexican Street Corn Soup

Let me start by saying I love Mexican street corn. However, most people, myself included, think of that as a summertime thing.

Since winter is a time for soups why not try to translate that summer flavor in a warming and hearty soup. That’s just what’s happening here. You get all the flavor of your favorite corn side dish in a warm winterized soup. That’s a real win-win situation from where I’m sitting.

Most of the ingredients are ones a lot of us have on hand already so it won’t break the bank.

Corn

Living in the northeast, I rarely see fresh ears of corn in my store’s produce department unless it is summer. Of course when it’s in season and locally grown, that would be my first choice for this since you cannot beat the taste. It does involve some work to get the kernels off, but it is worth it.

The great thing about this soup is you are not bound to only using fresh. The closest thing to the great taste of fresh on-the-cob-corn is frozen kernels and that’s what I used here. It not only is convenient, but it tastes great.

You can, of course, use canned corn. Due to the processing, it doesn’t taste as great as fresh or frozen, but it will do nicely here so if you have it, use it.

Crema

While I usually make my own for proper street corn, I didn’t bother here.

As sour cream is a good substitute for crema, you can go ahead and use that. I admit I did buy the commercial crema that comes in a can. It’s OK and if you have it, use it. I did in this and it was fine, but I’m sorry I spent the money on it. I think the sour cream would have tasted better barring the real homemade one.

The Recipe

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Mexican Street Corn Soup

If you love the real deal, you'll love this soup. "Souper" easy too.

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Course: Main, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: mexican soups, mexican street corn soup, soups with pantry ingredients

Servings: 6

Calories: 215kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 cups whole kernel corn divided
4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth divided
1 Tbs olive oil
4 scallions whites and light greens minced, greens sliced
1 Tbs minced fresh garlic
1 1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder or regular chili powder
1 cup crema or sour cream
1/2 cup Cotija cheese Parmesan may be substituted
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbs fresh lime juice
Salt and black pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Purée 2 cups corn kernels with 1 cup broth in a food processor.
Heat oil in a pot over medium. Add remaining 2 cups corn kernels, minced scallion whites and light greens, garlic, and chili powder; cook 5 minutes.
Stir in remaining 3 cups broth and puréed corn; simmer 10 minutes. Stir in crema and Cotija until heated through and cheese melts, 3 minutes.
Add cilantro and lime juice; season soup with salt and pepper. Top servings with sliced scallion greens

Nutrition

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Chicken Corn Chowder

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 23:00:17 +0000

Sometimes you just want soup. This chicken corn chowder can use up leftovers too.

Chicken Corn Chowder–Use Leftovers

This is the perfect dinner to use up leftovers.

So many of us buy rotisserie chicken at the store because it’s delicious and very convenient. Have any leftover? This soup is perfect for those. Made your. own chicken? Any way you made it, again the leftovers are perfect here.

Did you overbuy all that delicious fresh corn? I know I do because it’s just so darn delicious. Since I live very close to a local farm that produces it, I tend to overbuy. Because I buy so much I have quite a bit left over. Usually in the summer I grill it and it just tastes so wonderful in this soup.

Soup Still Satisfies

As I mentioned above, sometimes you just want soup–regardless of the outside temperature.

Sure summer is more for cookouts, salads and cold soups. However, this will still have the taste of summer with all the veggies that are in this chicken corn chowder.

Corn, and end-of-summer favorite is featured prominently in this. Roasted corn will taste the best in this soup so the next time you fire up the grill, grill some especially for this!

The original recipe called for two cans of cream-style corn. It’s very good with that but I made this with fresh corn; it’s much better in my opinion. I suggest you try it both ways. As I said, they’re both good but you can do the fresh corn version in the summer and the canned cream style corn in the winter.

Chicken

Again, the original recipe called for a can of chicken breast and again, I substituted leftover chicken that I had in the fridge.

Either way, the soup is very tasty. The best part is that you can rely on pantry items instead of leftovers and it still tastes wonderful.

The Recipe

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Quick Chicken Corn Chowder

So easy you can't believe it

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Main, Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: hearty dinner soups, soups made with leftovers, soups using fresh corn

Servings: 4

Calories: 501kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 small onion finely diced
1 rib celery finely diced
1 small red bell pepper finely diced
2 tbs butter
2 cups fresh roasted corn or 2 cans 14.75 oz each creamed corn
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules
1 1/2 cup diced cooked chicken or 1 can (12 oz) chicken breast meat, undrained, large lumps broken up
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 slices crisp bacon for garnish

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and red bell pepper. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until tender.
Add the corn, cream, milk, bouillon, chicken and it's juice (if using canned), salt and pepper. Stir to blend.
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until it's hot but do not boil it.
Crumble bacon and top each serving with equal amounts

Nutrition

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Jalapeño Popper Corn Salad

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 08 Jun 2021 23:00:54 +0000

This jalapeño popper corn salad is a meal in itself.

The Perfect Cookout Salad

Sometimes, you just have to think outside the box when it comes to salads you serve for picnics and BBQs.

While you can’t go wrong with the old standards such as potato salad and macaroni/pasta salad, maybe offering something else in addition to those is in order.

That’s where this jalapeño popper corn salad comes in. First of all, it’s pretty different from the usual fare. Secondly, it’s quite hearty and will satisfy those who want to go meatless (when you exclude the bacon and it’ll still taste great).

Roasted Corn: It’s Worth It

Roasted corn has a fantastic flavor, which is why it’s perfect for this salad.

While you can use cooked frozen or canned corn, the extra step of roasting a whole ear of corn then removing the kernels is worth it.

If you cook out a lot and often do ears of corn on the grill, why not just throw a few extra on the barbie to plan for this salad? This is what I call a “planned over.” Meaning it’s technically a leftover for which you have later plans.

You can do that with the onions and jalapeños too.

If You Want It Milder…

You can, of course, use less jalapeños and make sure you have no seeds or ribs un what you add to the salad.

Another thing you could do is use plain jack cheese instead of pepperjack.

When it comes to the peppers, I like a combo of fully ripe and green jalapeños. I grow my own in my Aerogarden so I can let a lot of them get red and fully ripe. I haven’t seen any red ones in any of my markets, but you might find them in supermarkets that specialize in organic produce.

The Recipe

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Jalapeño Popper Corn Salad

Roasting the corn gives this salad it's great flavor

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Course: Main/Side, Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: jalapeño popper corn salad, salads for cookouts and picnics, salads using roasted corn

Servings: 8

Calories: 498kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

4 cups roasted corn cooked canned or frozen may be used
2 large roasted jalapeños
1 medium onion quartered and grilled
1/2 cup crisp bacon sliced
1 cup sharp cheddar shredded
1 cup pepper jack cheese shredded

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
2 oz cream cheese softened
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Grill whole corn on the cob by your preferred method--mine is on my gas grill but you can use an air fryer too. When corn is nicely roasted, set aside to cool, then cut the kernels off the cob to use in the salad.
Grill the jalapeños and onions by the same method as the corn, but spritz them with a bit of oil before you do. When they are done, set them aside to cool. Then roughly chop the onion and dice the jalapeños (whether you remove the seeds are up to you but they do add additional heat).
Mix all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine the roasted corn, onions cheeses and jalapeños. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon, then add the rest to the corn mixture.
Add enough of the dressing to coat--depending on your tastes, you may not use all of it. If there is leftover dressing, it may be refrigerated and used on any salad you wish.

Nutrition

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Corn Fritters

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 23 May 2020 23:00:35 +0000

What can be better than corn fritters–with anything or just a snack!

An American Classic

Is there anything more “American” than a fritter? I’m not really 100 per cent positive, but I’m willing to guess that it is.

Fritters in the USA take many forms from sweet to savory. Everyone’s heard of the iconic apple fritter–it’s one of our favorite things to have with coffee. But then we go the other end of the spectrum to savory and that’s where you’ll find corn fritters.

Corn Any Way

The great thing about these corn fritters is you can use any type of corn you have on hand.

Most of us have a can of whole-kernel corn lurking in our pantry. This is a great way to use it. The canned variety requires no preliminary cooking either.

Do you have a bag of frozen corn sitting in the freezer? That’s good too, but you have to cook it for about 5 minutes and cool it a bit before making up the fritters.

How about leftover corn? That’s the best part because you can use all those leftovers right up. In fact, that’s my favorite way to make these. I guess because it makes me feel super budget conscious!

Choice Of Cheese

The recipe just specifies “shredded cheese,” so feel free to use whatever you have on hand or what you like.

What I do is add a bit of Parmesan or Romano into the mix to give the flavor some extra oomph. It’s not necessary, just nice.

The one type of cheese I would avoid is anything that strings–like mozzarella. That’s fine if you serve the fritters piping hot and you get that nice string when you bite into it. However, if you want to make these and serve them later for snacking, they could develop a very firm and gritty texture from the cheese cooling. I don’t notice this happens with cheddar or jack cheese so I tend to stick to those when I make the fritters.

The Recipe

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Corn Fritters

A comfort side dish

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Appetizers, Brunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: classic corn fritters, corn side dishes, savory fritters

Servings: 6

Calories: 182kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

15 oz can whole kernel corn
2 eggs
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1 pat butter
2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup chopped parsley

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Drain corn and discard liquid.
Put eggs, salt, and pepper in a bowl and beat.
Add flour and baking powder, whisk until smooth.
Add corn and cheese.
Stir.
Put butter and oil in a fry-pan, Heat until bubbly over medium heat.
Drop corn mixture in spoonfuls into a fry-pan.
When golden turn and cook another side.
Drain on absorbent paper and serve

Nutrition

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Mexican Street Corn

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 06 Jun 2017 23:00:01 +0000

Add this yummy Mexican Street Corn to your next cookout menu then watch it disappear!

Mexican Street Corn Screams Summer

Nothing says “summer” more than corn on the cob.

Fresh corn is delicious any way you serve it, but Mexican Street Corn takes an ear of corn to the next level. It’s coated with silky creamy crema and finished off with a tasty grated cheese and earthy cilantro.

Many Roads Lead To Crema

If you are not familiar with this Mexican delicacy, the best way I can describe it is a slightly sour and slightly salty creme fraiche. You may be able to locate crema in your grocery store, but I’ve never seen it. I’ve seen creme fraiche, but it’s prohibitively expensive.

Basically, crema is creme fraiche with salt and lime juice added. Creme fraiche is pretty easy to make, and all you need is heavy cream and a culturing agent.

So adding salt and lime juice to creme fraiche will give you a basic crema, but I like to go beyond basic and make something truly special. However, special still must be easy to make, and my version of Mexican crema is very easy.

Chili Powder: Your Own Or Store Bought

Any chili powder you have on your shelf will do for this recipe.

However, if you have any ancho chilis on hand, that variety is by far the best you can use on this corn. Making your own is very easy if you have a spice grinder or a Ninja.

The Recipe

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Mexican Street Corn

Add this yummy Mexican Street Corn to your next cookout menu then watch it disappear!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: GRILLING, side dishes, vegetarian dishes

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: bbq, corn, mexican food, Mexican street corn, side dishes

Servings: 6

Calories: 393kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 ears of corn husked but leave the stem on
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro
1 tbsp chili powder
2 cup grated cotijo cheese -OR- Romano -OR- Parmesan cheese

CREMA

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup creme frâiche see NOTES
2-3 tsp kosher salt
juice of 1 lime

Instructions

Mix crema in a small bowl; transfer to an oblong baking dish.
Place grated cheese on a large plate.
Heat a gas or charcoal grill to high. Roast corn on all sides, making sure to get areas of charring. This may also be done on the stovetop in a heavy skillet over high heat—a cast iron pan works well for the stovetop method.
Roll each ear of corn in the crema, then roll each ear in the grated cheese. Sprinkle each ear on all sides with the chili powder.
Garnish with coarsely chopped cilantro.

Notes

To make creme frâiche—add 2 tbs buttermilk or sour cream to 1 cup of room temperature heavy cream. Stir and let this stand UNCOVERED & UNREFRIGERATED for 12-24 hours. Once it’s at the desired consistency, cover and refrigerate. And no, you won’t get sick—bad bacteria doesn’t grow in this.

Nutrition

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Cheddar Corn Casserole

Judith Hannemann — Fri, 30 Oct 2015 00:00:12 +0000

Creamy and cheesy corn casserole! This is a super deluxe version of creamed corn.

If you’re looking for a really super corn side dish for the holidays, look no further!

This casserole is packed with corn, bell peppers and tons of cheddar cheese. It actually could be a vegetarian meal all by itself.

It’s easy to assemble–open a few cans, crush a few crackers, chop some veggies, and you’re done.

This casserole has the consistency of creamed corn–it is one of the ingredients–but as it sits, it will begin to become more compact, giving it the texture similar to corn bread. It can be served piping hot or warm, but either way, it’s delicious.

You can get really fancy here if you want. Use more and different veggies. Add some bacon or ham. Doing these things gives you a complete and tasty meal. Kielbasa or smoked sausage added would be really nice too. This is something you can dress up or down, which makes it very versatile.

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Cheddar Corn Casserole

Creamy and cheesy corn casserole! This is a super deluxe version of creamed corn.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: side dishes, vegetarian dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: casserole recipe, creamed corn

Servings: 6 -8

Calories: 425kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

14 oz can cream style corn
15 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped bell peppers assorted colors are nice
1/4 cup melted butter
4 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
2/3 cup milk
1 cup crushed crackers like Ritz
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 2 quart casserole
Combine all ingredients and pour into prepared pan
Bake for 1 hour.
SLOW COOKER
Spray of grease the crock of a 5-7 quart slow cooker
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl and add to slow cooker
Cook on high 3-5 hours, low 4-6 hours. Times are approximate as all slow cookers cook differently so check for doneness at minimum time.

Nutrition

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Corn Relish

Judith Hannemann — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Corn Relish

Nothing says summer like corn relish! Serve it fresh or preserve it for later!

This corn relish is the perfect thing to serve along side of or even on top of burgers and hot dogs! How great is that for saying, “Summer”?

This is one pickle relish that was always on my preserving rotation when I used to do a lot of “putting up” when we had our large garden.

Fresh or preserved–your choice!

But I have to admit I like this relish fresh too! So I’m giving two ways of doing it. I combine canning it with serving it fresh so I have the best of both worlds.

It’s been years since I did canning too, and really enjoyed doing this batch. I used a deep stock pot with a rack in the bottom. This will suffice for half-pint jars. I have a proper water bath (and pressure) canner in my attic, but trying to find either…well…

If you do want to preserve, I’ve given a link in the directions to a site that will give you all the information you need. As long as you follow directions, everything WILL be safe to eat. Since this relish is acidic (a pickle) there is no risk at all of botulism. That’s only a concern in low-acid foods, but acid foods have their spoilage issues too (although not deadly), so I can’t stress enough following directions!

Corn Relish

4 cups cooked corn
3/4 cup diced red bell pepper
3/4 cup diced green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped white onion
Brine/Dressing:
2 cups white vinegar
2/3 cup sugar
1 tbs kosher salt
1 tsp celery seed
1 tbs mustard seed
1 tsp ground turmeric

Method 1 (to serve fresh):
In a non-reactive saucepan (i.e., stainless steel, ceramic coated), heat the brine/dressing ingredients to dissolve the sugar. Remove from heat and cool.

Mix remaining ingredients in a large bowl and pour cooled brine/dressing over corn mixture. Toss and chill for about 1 hour.

Method 2 (to preserve by canning):
Prepare jars and water bath canner. Read directions on how to process high-acid foods here. You will need 6 half-pint mason jars.

In a large non-reactive saucepan, heat the brine ingredients to dissolve the sugar.

Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Fill jars with relish leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Place lids on jars and hand-tighten rings (do not over tighten). Place in water bath canner.

Process for 15 minutes (this is for sea level, consult your local extension office for high-altitude times)

Remove from water bath. Check seals after about 24 hours.

Corn Relish

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