Right around this time of year, I start looking forward to fall with its football games, crisp breezes, and all the apple and pumpkin treats I can imagine. Those days are still far, far away for us here in Phoenix, so I try not to get too caught up in my daydreams. Luckily, there are recipes like this one.
Recipes like this make me okay with summer still hanging around. Fresh summer sweet corn simply cannot be replicated any other time of year. Sure, I could make these with frozen sweet corn in the middle of winter (and probably will). But I know they won't be quite the same. They'll still be plenty good enough, but I know they won't be as amazing as they were in the middle of August.
I made these for dinner one night. I knew the full batch would make just the right amount for a tasty dinner and an easy breakfast the next morning. We topped them with sour cream and salsa verde for dinner. It was good, though we both agreed the salsa overtook the delicate flavor of the corn a tad too much; after all, we wanted to let the corn be the star. Perhaps a peach salsa or this mango-avocado variety would've worked better. We found the sweet spot, so to speak, the next morning when we reheated the leftover pancakes in the toaster and drizzled them with pure maple syrup. Oh my. Yes summer, you can stay just a bit longer.
Fresh Corn Pancakes
adapted from Gourmet, July 2009
seen on The Bitten Word
Ingredients:
1 c. all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1 TBSP sugar
1 tsp. sea salt
3-4 ears fresh sweet corn
3/4 c. buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Directions:
1. Preheat
a griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat. Place a baking sheet in the oven and preheat to 200 degrees F (or place on warm setting).
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl.
3. Cut
enough kernels from cobs to measure 2 cups. Scrape the pulp from cobs with the back of a large knife. Put 1/2 c. kernels and all the pulp into to a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, then strain through a sieve into another
medium bowl. Press on purée to release all the liquid. Discard solids.
4. Whisk eggs, oil,
and butter into strained corn purée. Add in flour mixture and remaining corn. Whisk until just combined.
5. Brush griddle with enough oil to coat. Using a 1/3 c. measuring cup, pour batter onto
griddle. Cook until bubbles appear on surface and undersides are
golden-brown, about 2 min. Flip with a large spatula and cook until
undersides are golden-brown, about 1 min. more. (If pancakes brown too quickly, reduce heat.) Place cooked pancakes on preheated baking sheet in oven between batches. If needed, lightly oil griddle between batches. Serve with maple syrup (or jalapeño maple syrup), sour cream, Greek yogurt, and/or salsa. Serves 4.