Summer Fest: Corn Porn

By: Michelle Buffardi

Related To:

grilled-corn-with-cilantro-wasabi-butter
Summer Fest 2010

We're teaming up with other food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2010, a season-long garden party. Each week we'll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you're harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. To join in, check out awaytogarden.com.

I have something really embarrassing to tell you. I've had a song stuck in my head for 15 years. But that's not even the shameful part; listen to the lyrics:

"Oh it's corn, corn, corn

That make you feel forlorn,
On the farm, on the farm,
Oh, it's corn, corn, corn
That make you feel forlorn,
On the Hinky Dinky 'Double D' farm."

Bad, right? I first heard it when the kids I was babysitting had it on a constant loop on their home stereo, and it replays in my head basically every time I think about or eat corn. Which is a lot.

To rid myself of this demon, I will, for the next few minutes, think about corn in a very big way, I'll peruse recipes, look at pictures, read stories about corn -- whatever it takes. By saturating my brain with all things corn, I'll replace these silly lyrics with good corn memories that I'll be able to recall at will and instead of the Hinky Dinky stuff.

On the cob:

Jackson Pollock corn

Jackson Pollock-Inspired Confetti Corn from Just Eat Food.

Mexican grilled corn

Mexican Grilled Corn from Ezra Pound Cake.

Off the cob:

grilled corn with jalapeno-garlic butter

Grilled Corn With Jalapeno-Garlic Butter from Life's Ambrosia.

sweet corn, chilies and burrata over fettucini

Sweet Corn, Chilies and Burrata With Fettuccine from Local Lemons.

In soup:

Corn and Lobster Chowder

Corn and Lobster Chowder from Michael Symon's Cook Like an Iron Chef.

creamy spicy corn chowder with chicken

Creamy Spicy Corn Chowder With Chicken from Food Network.

For dessert:

sweet corn ice cream 2

Sweet Corn Ice Cream from Closet Cooking.

Sweet Corn Pudding

Sweet Corn Pudding: Che Bap from Luke Nguyen of Luke's Vietnam.

If that's not enough to have you craving corn or singing nonsensical children's songs, you should watch Michael Symon in Cook Like an Iron Chef, secret ingredient: corn, or check out the corny musings of our Summer Fest friends:

Don't forget to join the conversation on twitter at #summerfood, and visit last week's Summer Fest post on cukes and zukes.

Next Up

Summer Fest: Fresh Corn Muffins

Week five of our season-long garden party Summer Fest 2011 welcomes food and garden bloggers to feature garden-to-table recipes and tips. We’ll help you to enjoy all that this season has to offer. So far, we’ve delved into eggplant, peaches, cucumbers and cherries. Now we're on to a new crop: corn. Yes, I turned on my oven. It was worth it though to work sweet summer corn into a classic corn muffin recipe. These savory corn muffins are a great accompaniment to any summer dish but since I prefer to snack all day, I made them miniature. You can pick up corn right now from your local farmers' market, but there should also be plenty in stock at the supermarket.

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Feast on sweet summer corn, fresh from the farm stand.

On TV

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