5 Fantastic Corn Recipes

Let's be honest: No one needs a recipe for corn. All you need is a mouth and a shucked ear straight off the stalk. 

But if you want a recipe for corn—one that goes beyond shucking, boiling and buttering—there’s more than one way to work a cob. In fact, there are five fabulous ways below, from simple (pan corn) and Southern (corn muffins) to serious (chilled corn soup with Maine lobster and chive salad) and sublime (corn ice cream). 

“I’ve been thinking for years how the natural sweetness of summer corn makes sense for ice cream, especially when paired with other flavors and texture,” says chef Stephen Kalt of Fornelletto Cucina & Wine Bar at Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa in Atlantic City, N.J. “Corn and cream are a natural pairing, and guests are always surprised that a vegetable not usually thought of for dessert works incredibly well as a flavor for ice cream.”

Corn Ice Cream

Makes 1 quart

• ¾ cup whole milk
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 ½ cup heavy cream
• 6 ears corn
• 1 vanilla bean, scraped
• 6 egg yolks
• Pinch kosher salt

Remove the corn kernels from the cob. Heat the cream with the corncobs, the corn and the scraped vanilla bean until it just comes to a boil. Turn off the heat and let the flavors infuse at least 1 hour. 

Warm the milk and sugar in a medium-sized saucepan. In a separate medium-sized bowl, beat the egg yolks until they are slightly thickened. Slowly pour in the warm milk mixture to temper the yolks. 

Add the yolk mixture and the cream mixture to the pot. Remove the corncobs. Stir the mixture on medium heat with a rubber spatula until the mixture thickens enough to coat the spatula. Remove from heat and chill as quickly as possible. Once it is cold, puree the mixture, then strain and process according to the ice cream maker's instructions.

Pan Corn

Courtesy of chef Jeffrey Forrest, Parker & Quinn in Refinery Hotel, New York City

Serves 4

• 8 ears local sweet corn, cut from cob
• ½ cup sweet butter
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Heat a 14-inch cast iron skillet until hot and add butter. Swirl butter around in the pan and add corn. Allow the corn to sit in the pan and char, about 1 minute. Add the salt and pepper, then toss the corn in the pan to distribute evenly. After seasoning, keep the corn cooking over high heat until it is well charred. Taste for seasoning and doneness after two more minutes. 

Sea Island Corn Muffins

Courtesy of chef Jonathan Jerusalmy, Sea Island, Georgia

Serves 12

• 5 slices bacon, diced
• 2/3 cup water
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1/8 cup milk
• 2 ½ cups bread flour
• 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• 1 cup creamed corn
• 1 cup shredded cheddar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease the cups of two 12-cup muffin tins. In a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain bacon pieces and crumble. You should have ½ cup crumbled bacon. Set aside and discard bacon fat. 

In a large bowl, whisk water, oil, eggs and milk. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt. Slowly add to wet ingredients and whisk together to remove all lumps. Stir in corn, cheddar and reserved bacon. Spoon scant 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup. Bake 15 minutes or until muffins have lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the muffins comes out clean. Serve hot or warm. Extra muffins will freeze beautifully.

Capesante

Courtesy of Chris D'Amico, executive chef of Gemma trattoria in The Bowery Hotel, New York City

Serves 2

• 10 sea scallops
• 1 ear corn
• ¼ cup fresh fava beans, shucked and blanched in salted water
• 2 plum tomatoes, skin and seeds removed. Small dice. 
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and black pepper

Remove the corn from the cob and boil the corn in salted water until fully cooked. Remove from water and allow to cool. Shuck the fava beans and blanch in salted water for 5 minutes. Remove from water and cool down rapidly in cold water. With a paring knife, carve a small "x" into the bottom of the tomatoes (opposite side from the stem) and place into a pot of salted boiling water for 1 minute. Remove from water and chill rapidly in ice water. Proceed to remove the skin and seeds, then dice. 

In a saute pan, saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil until aromatic. Add the corn, fava beans and tomatoes. Season with sea salt, black pepper and lemon juice. 

Heat a saute pan with olive oil until very hot, but not smoking. Season sea scallops with sea salt and black pepper just before placing in the pan. Pat dry with a paper towel to ensure good caramelization. The scallops will cook in about 3 minutes. Plate the vegetables and place the scallops on top. Serve very hot. 

Chilled Corn Soup with Maine Lobster and Chive Salad

Courtesy of Justin Dain, chef of Pine Restaurant at the Hanover Inn in Hanover, New Hampshire

Serves 6

Soup

• 1 medium Spanish onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 10 ears corn, shucked and cut off the cob (reserve the cobs)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Julienne the Spanish onion and rough-chop the garlic. Saute the onion and garlic over low heat in the butter and canola oil until the onions are translucent. Add the shucked corn to the onions and continue to saute the mixture until the corn begins to slightly caramelize. Add the cobs to the base of the soup and add the vegetable stock. Simmer the mixture for 30 minutes and finish the soup with the cream. Remove the soup from the heat and blend in a Vita-Prep or blender until smooth. Season the soup with salt and pepper and chill before serving. 

Lobster and Chive Salad

• 1 and 1/2-pound Maine lobster
• 1 carrot
• 2 stalks celery 
• ½ of a medium Spanish onion
• 1 cup white wine
• 1 ear of corn
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• Microgreens for garnish
• Salt and pepper to taste

In a two-gallon pot, add 1 gallon of water and the white wine. Rough-chop the carrot, celery and onion and add to the pot. Bring to a simmer and cook the lobster for 8 minutes. Chill the lobster in an ice water bath for 15 minutes. Grill the corn on the cob until it begins to char on the kernels. Cool the corn in the refrigerator then cut the corn off the cob. Remove the lobster from the ice bath and clean all the meat from the lobster, cutting the meat into a medium dice. In a small bowl, add the lobster meat, corn, chopped chives, lemon juice and olive oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. 

In a chilled soup bowl, serve 9 ounces of the chilled corn soup and add a heaping tablespoon of the lobster and chive salad mixture in the middle. Drizzle some of the remaining olive oil from the lobster salad around the salad. Garnish with microgreens and serve.