Summer = Corn

I'ma try to keep going with this flavor combination thing by spotlighting a specific ingredient and thinking out loud about how we can use it in fun/interesting/seasonally 'relevant' ways. Today, kiddies, we'll be talking about corn.

CORN

Season: summer

Taste: sweet

Function: heating (?)

Weight: medium

Volume: moderate

Techniques: boil, grill, roast, saute, steam

This is what The Flavor Bible has to say about corn. I don't know about corn's function being heating. Heating ingredients are things like chiles, mustard seed, horseradish, peppercorns, etc. I'm not sure corn fits in that group. But that's unimportant.

Going down the list of compatible flavors I see a lot of familiar flavor combinations - butter, bell peppers, chiles, tomatoes, potatoes, blah blah. And I just stumbled across one that is less obvious and way more fun - maple syrup! I like maple syrup on everything, a holdover from my days as a chubby youth. Most of the stuff on the list is widely available this time of year and is at the peak of its goodness, so it's really easy to create fresh combinations just by browsing around the greenmarket (if you're a 'cosmopolitan white person') or your supermarket or even your sustainable yardgarden (if you're a provincial white person).

Belgian waffles with corn, bacon (or pancetta), and real maple syrup.

Make up some homemade belgian waffles. Dice some bacon or pancetta in a pretty large dice - the closer to the size of the corn kernels, the better. Slice the kernels off some ears of sweet corn. Saute the bacon for a few minutes first on pretty high heat, then throw in the corn. You could either use the fat from the bacon as your fat for sauteing, or you could drain that and use butter. I think I'd use butter, since that is nice on waffles and with maple syrup. Either way, just saute really briefly until the corn is heated through. I like corn that's fresh and sweet to be barely cooked so that it retains a nice crunch and its natural sweetness.

Put this mixture, however much you want, on top of the waffles like you would a fruit compote. Drizzle real maple syrup over top and eat. I was thinking maybe some blueberries or some diced peaches might be good too to mix in with the corn and bacon. It all sounds kinda heavy for breakfast, but maybe a summertime breakfast for dinner, followed by a nap in some grass? What do you think, y'all?

I also saw dill on the compatible ingredients list, which sounds really nice to me. Lately I've been making this mixture of corn sliced from the cob, halved cherry tomatoes, and cut up asparagus with some salt and pepper and goat cheese for creaminess. I'll use it as kind of a side dish for fish or sometimes we just eat it alone cause it's goot. I think I'll add some dill next time.

What do you think?

Do you like corn?

Does your part of the world rely on corn heavily?

Is corn a part of any of your childhood memories?

Do you think it sounds bad to put corn on waffles?

Do you prefer corn that comes in the husk because it feels more authentic? I do.

Off to the greenmarket.