In the Kitchen with Sigona’s Featuring: Local, Fresh Picked Corn

Fresh Corn Fritters with a Creamy Chive & Lime Dipping Sauce

Think of corn fritters as a great finger food for an outdoor grill party; these puppies pair beautifully with ice-cold beer. If you don’t want to serve them with the creamy chive & lime dip, you can serve them with warm maple syrup – the classic way to serve corn fritters. Adapted from Fine Cooking. Makes about 20 to 24 fritters.

Fritters:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. sugar
• About 1/2 tsp. cumin (or cayenne, if you’re up for the heat)
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/4 cup plain Fage Total Greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large ear of corn, kernels sliced off
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups vegetable or corn oil (enough for it to be at 1/2-inch deep in the frying pan)

Creamy Chive & Lime Dipping Sauce:

• 1/2 cup plain Fage Total Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp. minced chives
• 1/2 tsp. (or more, to taste) lime zest

Creamy Chive & Lime Dipping Sauce: In a small bowl, fold in the chopped chives and lime zest into the yogurt. Serve immediately or chill.

Fritters: In a medium bowl, stir the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, cumin and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the milk, yogurt and eggs. Gently stir the egg mixture into the flour mixture until just blended. Stir in the corn. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Pour oil into a small, heavy frying pan, to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until it’s hot enough that a small dollop of batter sizzles when added (about 350F). With a spring-lever miniature ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, scoop up a ball of the batter and gently release it into the hot oil. Add three or four more balls of batter to the hot oil, but do not crowd the pan. Reduce the heat to medium low so that the fritters cook gently. When golden brown on the bottom and barely cooked around the top edge, after about 1 to 2 minutes, use a slotted spatula to turn the fritters and cook until golden on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Transfer the fritters to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with salt.

*See cook’s note. Continue to cook the remaining batter in small batches, adding more oil as needed to maintain the 1/2-inch depth.

*Cook’s note: You can keep finished fritters warm in a 200F oven while cooking in batches. Note that fritters are best served immediately.

To serve: Either dot the top of each fritter with a dollop of the yogurt-chive-lime mixture or serve it on the side for self-dolloping/dipping.

Grilled Or Boiled Corn on the Cob with Seasoned Butter

Grilled Corn on the Cob

For an impressive presentation: Peel back the husk – don’t remove it – to remove the silk. Pull the peeled husk down to the bottom, creating a handle. Take one of the outer husk leaves off and trim it to a thin strip. Use the strip to tie the peeled back husks together with a bow.

Directions: Heat grill to medium heat, oil the grates and place the ears directly on the grates. Turn several times as the corn cooks. Keep it on the grill for about 10 minutes or until the husks are charred and are beginning to peel. Serve corn immediately along with butter, salt and pepper. You can also use spiced or herbed butters. Recipes follow.

Boiled Corn on the Cob

• About 1 quart of water per ear of corn
• Salt

Directions: Bring salted water to a boil. Add the corn and cook for 2 to 4 minutes. Remove corn using tongs and shake off the extra water. Serve with butter, salt and pepper.

Seasoned Butters

Following are a few fancy butter spreads that add fantastic flavor to corn on the cob. Each ingredient combination is enough for about 4 ears of corn.

Herb’s Favorite

• 3 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. of fresh herbs, such as a combination of parsley, basil, tarragon, chives, sage and chervil

Directions: Combine all ingredients, blending well. Store in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.

Honey Butter

• 3 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1 Tbsp. honey, such as Wildflower from Honey Hole Honey Co., available at Sigona’s

Directions: Combine all ingredients, blending well. Store in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.

Chili Butter – Or – Chili-Lime Butter

• 2 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• Pinch of salt
• For chili-lime butter, add grated peel of ½ of one lime, more if desired

Directions: Combine all ingredients, blending well. Store in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.

Lemon & Dill Butter

• 3 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1 tsp. fresh dill weed or 1/2 tsp dried
• Grated peel of 1/2 lemon
• Pinch of white pepper

Directions: Combine all ingredients, blending well. Store in a covered airtight container in the refrigerator.

Corn, Basil & Tomato Bruschetta with Creamy Chèvre and Summertime Peach Balsamic

Basil and corn is a fantastic combination; add in a couple other flavors of summer and you’ve got yourself an easy, delicious treat that pairs well with a glass of chilled Pinot Grigio. You can use cream cheese or ricotta in place of the goat cheese, of course. Recipe adapted from Celebration Generations’s Sweet Corn Spectacular cookbook. Makes about 10 to 12 slices.

Ingredients:

• Half a baguette, cut on the diagonal into 10 to 12 slices about a 1/2-inch thick
• Sigona’s Fresh Press Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for brushing (Mix it up! Try Sigona’s Garlic Oil)
• 2 ears local, fresh corn, husked
• 2 Tbsp. Sigona’s Summertime Peach White Balsamic
• About 3/4 cup diced cherry tomatoes (look for a mixed medley variety pack for extra color)
• 1/4 cup sliced fresh basil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• About 6 to 8 oz. soft chèvre (goat cheese), such as locally made Laura Chenel (or use ricotta or cream cheese)

Directions: Brush both sides of the baguette slices with olive oil. You can put these in the oven to broil, but we recommend using a stovetop grill. Using a stovetop grill or large pan, grill both sides of the baguette slices over medium-high heat, just about 1 minute per side. This makes the bread crispy on the outside, yet chewy on the inside. Set grilled slices aside.

Slice the corn from the ears and place the kernels into a medium bowl. Add the diced tomatoes, basil and balsamic to the bowl; stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spread a bit of the cheese on one side of each grilled baguette slice, top with some of the corn mixture and serve.