Grilled, Spicy and Creamy Corn on the Cob

Dear Lynne: We are into our annual big corn feed and need new ideas for corn on the cob. Thanks for the help. - Our Garden's Going Nuts in Des Moines

Dear Gardeners: So, I gather you've been there and done that with the minimalist's approach of merely salting the cob. From the "more is more" camp, with inspiration supplied by a Mexican market in St. Paul, Minn., where people line up for the grilled corn and fixings, comes this idea. We talked about it on the show, but it bears repeating.

Think grilled corn slathered with butter, rolled in sour cream and finished with grated Parmesan and chile powder - wonderfully messy and practically a supper on its own. Your grill is ready for the corn when the coals are covered with gray ash.

Lynne's Drippy Mexican Sweet Corn

Ingredients:

2 cups Mexican Crema (similar to sour cream), or sour cream
about 3 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1/3 cup hot chile powder (use to taste)
6 ears fresh sweet corn, husks peeled back but still attached to the ears
1-1/2 sticks salted butter, melted
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

You can set this up assembly-line style. Have the sour cream in a shallow bowl, the cheese on a large plate and the chili powder in a salt shaker.

Grill corn about 4 inches from the coals for 8 to 10 minutes, turning with tongs and brushing with the melted butter. It's done when there is a fleck of golden brown here and there. Remove to a platter. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper.

Let corn cool a little so it's safe to handle. Using husks as handles, roll ears in sour cream, and then lightly roll in the cheese, and sprinkle with optional chile powder. Eat warm.

Serves 6

Lynne Rossetto Kasper is the host of national radio show "The Splendid Table."