Kitchen Newsletter Target Date: 07-20-17 Title: Summer Sweet Corn Constant Contact Name: July 20, 2017 – Summer Sweet Corn Subject Line: 
 More Ways to Enjoy Summer Sweet Corn! Teaser Line: Facebook and/or Twitter Words: Sweet corn is at its best when harvested locally, and enjoyed immediately! Make the most of sweet corn season with great tips and three delicious recipes in our latest newsletter: In This Issue: All About Corn: RECIPE: Grilled Corn and Quinoa Summer Salad Preparing Corn
RECIPE: Sautéed Corn With Bacon, Scallions and Garlic
Essential Tools for Enjoying Sweet Corn: Enjoying Corn: RECIPE: Fresh Corn Summer Salsa
Saving Some for Later INTRO “Summer Sweet Corn
Mmm, Mmm, Mmm . . . ! ” INTRO TEXT There’s a wonderful window in mid-to-late summer where fresh sweet corn abounds. It’s the time when locally harvested sweet corn is at its best and enjoyed immediately! IN THIS ISSUE, we’re making the most of sweet corn season with great tips for how to prepare, how to enjoy, and three delicious recipes to try now. How sweet it is! MAIN BODY: All About Corn: For those in corn country, sweet corn is prepared in an exact manner to be followed precisely for true enjoyment. First, start a big pot of water boiling on the stove. When close to a boil, head to the garden and pick the desired number of ears. Run, don’t walk, back to the kitchen. If at all possible, husk the corn while running – don’t worry, this takes practice, but it’s a skill worth developing. Place the husked corn in the pot for just a few minutes – just long enough to heat the kernels through. Remove from the pot, slather with butter, maybe a sprinkle of salt, and enjoy! While a classic way to enjoy summer sweet corn, it’s but one of many ways to make the most of the short season. The sweet corn that we so enjoy each summer stems from an ancient grain, maize, with a Native American heritage. Sweet corn’s individual kernels are the immature fruits of certain varieties of corn -- all neatly arranged in rows on a cob connected to the corn stalk. Field corn varieties – the vast majority (99%) of the corn raised – feature kernels that continue to mature from fruit stage to seed stage, and harvested when dried out. Field corn goes on to become food for livestock, converted into ethanol fuel, ground for cornmeal, made into tortillas, corn sweeteners, corn oil, cornflakes, and so much more! Labels: Husk Kernels (over 800 per ear)
Rows of Kernels (always an even number of rows, usually 16) Silk – (one strand for each kernel) Stem End Grilled Corn and Quinoa Summer Salad
Two grains, corn and quinoa, share an ancient history as important crops in the developing Americas. We’ve made them the cornerstone of this salad that’s hearty enough, and nutritionally balanced enough to be the main entrée. Quinoa is a protein-packed grain that cooks quickly. (We’ve made this with farro as well – also very tasty.) The corn for this salad is grilled for a little extra flavor, but may be boiled or microwaved just as easily. Finally, this salad is the perfect do-ahead preparation – the flavors get better as the salad waits for dinnertime. Knife Technique: Chiffonade This slicing technique is peculiar to herbs and leafy greens. With French origins, the word “chiffonade” means “little ribbons.” For this salad, the basil is cut with a chiffonade technique resulting in little ribbons of the delicious herb throughout the salad. Lay 6-8 basil leaves on top of each other. Roll the leaves together as tightly as possible. With a sharp knife, but the rolled leaves crosswise. Ribbons of basil! PREPARING CORN: How to Boil Corn Husk the corn, and remove any corn silk. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop in the ears, cover, and return to a boil. Remove the ears after about 4-5 minutes depending on the size of the ear. To Salt or Not to Salt – we prefer to salt our corn after cooking adhering to the notion that salted water may toughen the corn kernels. How to Grill – Part 1 Prepare a medium-hot grill. Husk the corn, and remove any corn silk. Brush each ear with vegetable oil. Place the ears directly on the grill. Turn every 2-3 minutes just as the kernels begin to display grill marks. Plan on about 9-11 minutes in total. (If you like, leave some of the leaves attached to the cob, pull back, and tie; the husks make handy handles for turning.) How to Grill – Part 2 Prepare a medium hot grill. Remove just a few of the outer leaves from the corn ear. Loosely pry away the remaining leaves, but leave them intact. Remove the corn silk. Brush the kernels with olive oil, or butter, reposition the leaves back into place. Grill for 18-22 minutes turning every 4-5 minutes. The corn is done when the kernels are easily pierced with a knife tip. How to Microwave Remove the outer leaves from the ears leaving a few layers of inner leaves and the silk in place. Cut the stem end of the corn. Place two corn ears in the microwave along the edges of the rotating platter. Microwave on high for 2 minutes. Turn the ears over, and microwave an additional 2 minutes. Using a hot pad, remove the corn from the microwave oven. Firmly grip the silk end of the ear and squeeze the corn from its husk. BEST THING EVER! The silk will cling to the husk leaving the ear silk-free. Essential Tools for Enjoying Sweet Corn: LE CREUSET 8 QT. STOCK POT We bring out our favorite stock pot when it’s time to boil sweet corn! The enameled steel heats water quickly! CORN COB BUTTERER Buttered corn is the best! Place butter in this clever holder for neat application. OXO CORN PICKS Put handles on your corn cob! Interlocking design makes handling and storage very easy! OXO CORN STRIPPER Cut kernels from the cob quickly and easily! Kernels are captured in the integrated container to keep things neat. RSVP CORN STRIPPER Another neat way to remove kernels from the cob. Stainless cutting blade. Minimizes splatter. TALISMAN BUTTER BOY Add some personality to the table! This handy gadget holds butter and stands ready to apply to hot corn-on-the-cob! Sautéed Corn With Bacon, Scallions and Garlic Fresh sweet corn takes a starring role in this quick sauté. The kernels’ great flavors are enhanced with guaranteed flavor makers – bacon, scallions, and a little garlic. It’s a combination of tastes and flavors that’s hard to beat. With the addition of a generous amount of black pepper and Parmesan cheese, this dish is reminiscent of the classic dish Cacio de Pepe only with corn instead of pasta. During the off season frozen corn may be used with satisfaction, but fresh, just-off-the-cob corn really makes this dish shine. ENJOYING CORN: Offer Corn Picks – Hot corn is better than lukewarm corn, but can be too hot to handle. Offer everyone at the table corn picks -- instant handles for the hot cobs. Include corn dishes in the table setting – they’re designed to hold one cob at a time, and catch any dripping butter. Butter and Salt – Some sweet corn is so young and tender it needs nothing else but an appetite. But, butter and a sprinkle of salt take corn-on-the-cob to another level. Try substituting a squeeze of lime juice instead of salt for a tangy, yet lower sodium treatment. Flavored Butters – Bring out the savory-flavored butters during corn season, then slather on when the corn is hot! Basil–Garlic Butter – Soften 1/2 cup of butter, add 2 tablespoons of chopped basil, and 3 cloves of crushed garlic. Mix well. Chili-Lime Butter – Soften 1/2 cup of butter, add the juice of one lime, and 1 teaspoon of hot chili powder. Mix well. Tomato Herb Butter – Soften 1/2 cup of butter, add 1/4 cup finely chopped, oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, 2 cloves of crushed garlic. Mix well. Mexican Street Corn – Top cooked corn with a mixture of 1/4 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 4 ounces crumbled Cotija cheese. Slather on cooked corn; add a squeeze of fresh lime juice. Mmm . . . ! Corn Coins - Break or cut the con into half inch pieces, cook, and serve as “corn coins” with sturdy cocktail picks, a single corn pick, or appetizer forks. Fresh Corn Summer Salsa Salsa is always in season, but during corn season, a fresh salsa featuring garden-fresh corn is especially nice. Paired with protein-rich black beans and edamame, this corn salsa is hearty enough to turn what’s typically an appetizer into almost a meal. The classic flavors that typically define salsas are all there – onion, Jalapeño peppers, lime, and cilantro. The colorful composition makes this presentation a stunner on the table. Put this salsa on your summer menu – eating vegetables has never tasted better! SAVING SUMMER CORN: Those 3-4 magical weeks when local sweet corn is available fly by so fast! Extend the season by freezing corn for autumn and the winter ahead. (We love serving homegrown sweet corn at Thanksgiving dinner!) Prep the vegetables or fruit by washing and trimming any stems or husks. Place the vegetables in boiling water for 1-3 minutes based on the vegetable. Immediately immerse the vegetables in an ice water bath to halt the cooking. Drain well. Pat dry. Spread the blanched veggies in a single layer on a baking sheet. Once frozen, bag the veggies in a freezer bag. Remove as much air as possible. Label with the contents and date. Freeze for 1 hour.