Corn Off The Cob Can Be Quite A Treat, Too
One summer my husband and I grew corn in a sunny patch of the back yard, enthused by descriptions of freshly picked ears rushed in from the garden to a pot of boiling water and cooked until bursting with sugar.
We nurtured eight stalks; we harvested four stubby ears.
As dilettante farmers, we now devote the space to herbs and tomatoes and buy our corn at the farmers’ market. Thanks to the new supersweet varieties available, the corn we’re getting is tender and very flavorful.
Although we usually eat it plain with a little salt and butter, when we really want to indulge, I prepare Corn and Crab Custard. This is a rich and extravagant variation of an old-fashioned dish that Midwesterners serve at the height of the harvest, when they’re all ears (forgive me!).
I like to serve this with something sharp, such as Ginger Fruit Salad, for a Sunday brunch.
Corn and Crab Custard
1 ear fresh, sweet corn (see note)
1 cup (about 6 ounces) flaked crab meat or cooked baby shrimp (frozen, well-drained seafood is fine)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon prepared mustard
2 eggs, beaten
Scrape corn and any liquid from cob into bowl. Add crab, cream, milk, salt, nutmeg and cayenne. Stir in butter and mustard. Whisk in eggs.
Pour mixture into 2 greased 1-1/2-cup souffle dishes or custard cups. Place dishes in small pan and fill with 1 inch hot water. Place pan in oven. Bake at 350 degrees until firm, about 1 hour. (Test by inserting knife near center. If it comes out clean, custard is done.)
Remove from oven, then from water bath. Set aside 10 minutes for custard to settle. Custard can be served right from dishes or unmolded onto serving plates. Serve hot.
Yield: 2 servings.
Note: Use a supersweet variety of corn (ask your market vendor or produce manager); anything else would be too tough for this dish.
Ginger Fruit Salad
Juice from 1 large lime
1/2 to 1 teaspoon grated ginger root
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon lemon- or citrus-flavored rum
1 kiwi fruit
1 small banana
1 medium peach or nectarine
Combine lime juice, ginger root, honey and rum in 1-1/2-quart bowl. Peel and slice fruit into bite-size pieces. Gently combine fruit and lime juice mixture. Set aside 10 minutes for flavors to blend or chill 1 to 2 hours before serving.
Yield: 2 servings.