Last week, when Ponchatoula farmer Eric Morrow brought a big pile of fresh corn to the Red Stick Farmers Markets, it officially felt like summer. More than any other vegetable, corn signals that seasonal change I crave all year. Winter is fine and all, but the first few weeks of summer in Louisiana are my absolute favorite—probably because the fresh foods I love emerge in quick succession. Fresh corn is a standout. It’s a vegetable most of us have loved since childhood (back when tomatoes were gross), and while it’s wildly versatile, it takes nothing to prepare it beyond a fast trip in boiling water.
With the season’s first corn, I decided to have some fun and make Mexican street corn. Sold by pushcart street vendors in parts of Mexico, Mexican street corn (elotes), features ears of cooked corn slathered in a condiment mixture usually comprised of crema (a thin sour cream), mayonnaise, garlic, cilantro, chili powder and cotija cheese, a dry cheese that adds the right amount of salt. The rich, creamy spread is a decadent foil against the corn’s natural sweetness.
You locavores out there will be pleased to know that Morrow will have corn throughout the summer, since he plants it in stages to ensure a reliable yield over several weeks.
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And what kind of corn does he grow?
The aptly named variety, Obsession.
Mexican Street Corn (Elotes)
Serves 6-8
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
1 cup grated cotija cheese
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
½ cup finely chopped cilantro
8 ears corn, preferably fresh from market
Limes for serving
In a medium bowl, mix first six ingredients together and set aside. Using a gas or charcoal grill, prepare a medium fire. Place corn on grates and grill until cooked through and slightly charred on all sides, about 8 minutes total. Remove from grill. Transfer crema-cheese mixture to a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish and spread evenly. Roll each ear of corn in mixture to coat. Shake extra cotija cheese and chili powder on each ear. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
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Note: You can also serve the ears on wooden skewers. Insert skewers in cobs after grilling, but before coating surface with mixture.
(Modified from Food Lab creator and Serious Eats contributor J. Kenji López-Alt)
Maggie Heyn Richardson is a regular 225 contributor and the author of Hungry for Louisiana, An Omnivore’s Journey. Reach her at hungryforlouisiana.com.