Friday, May 28, 2010

Creamed Corn and Asparagus Coins

I started to tell you about the book Ad Hoc at Home the other day. Since this is a book about family meals, it’s organized according to how planning meals at home supposedly happens. The chapters for main courses of meat and fish come first assuming those are chosen first, and they're followed by soups, salads, vegetables and side dishes, breads, and desserts which are picked to go with a main course. That makes sense. Although, I have been known to plan meals around a vegetable or salad I have in mind. This particular meal did involve barbecued chicken, but my real plan was to put together a menu that would include fresh, local corn. The creamed corn recipe in the book had stuck in my head, and I had to have it. Creamed corn may not ordinarily require a recipe, but in this case, it led me to adding cayenne and lime zest, and so I was happy to follow it. Then, the asparagus coins caught my eye. Rather than leaving the asparagus in spears, they were cut into nice, little rounds and cooked with chive oil and parsley water. Yes, it was just a tad fussy for a simple, home-cooked side dish, but the flavor was fantastic.

First, for creamed corn, Keller offers a handy tip for removing silks from the cut kernels. Move your hand through the kernels, round and round, and the silks will stick to your hand. Rinse your hand and repeat as needed. With kernels free of all silks, the corn was cooked in a large saute pan with melted butter, lime juice, and salt over low heat. Once the liquid evaporated, cream, cayenne, and lime zest were added. When the corn had absorbed most of the cream, chopped chives were added, and it was done.

To make the asparagus dish, chive oil and parsley water needed to be made in advance. To make chive oil, chopped chives were placed in a sieve under hot running tap water to remove any chlorophyll taste. The chives were drained and dried and pureed with canola oil. That mixture was refrigerated for 24 hours and then poured through cheesecloth to become perfectly smooth. Parsley water was made with leaves and tender stems that were wilted in a pan with a teaspoon of oil and a little honey. That mixture was then transferred to a bowl with ice cold water to stop the cooking. All of that was then pureed and strained. The reason for the parsley water is that it helps in retaining the flavor of asparagus. The chemical in asparagus that gives it its taste is water-soluble, so cooking in plain water causes some of that flavor to disappear. With those items prepped, it was time to address the asparagus. It was suggested that the spears be cut on a mandoline for perfectly equal-sized coins. I opted to quickly chop with a knife and accepted that mine were close enough to being equal in size. So, the almost perfect asparagus coins and tips were placed in a saute pan with chive oil and salt. As soon as the edges of the coins began to cook, parsley water was added, and it was left for a brief couple of minutes until just tender.

I said the parsley water and chive oil were fussy, but they really weren’t difficult to prepare. In fact, I finished them both in about 20 minutes and that included washing dishes. I would need to do a side by side comparison with asparagus cooked in plain water to know if the parsley water were truly effective in preserving asparagus flavor. But, I can say that the taste was excellent and very much of asparagus with a mild side note of chives. And, the creamed corn was ridiculously good. Fresh corn and cream can do no wrong, but add a little lime and cayenne, and it becomes even better. These were simple, home-cooked side dishes that were taken to another level, and that’s the point of Ad Hoc at Home.



29 comments:

  1. Yummy!!!! I happen to have fresh corn in my fridge. That make me thing of this creamy yummy corn dish of yours.

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  2. Wonderful! Those are great side dishes!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  3. I just love creamed corn. There is something so soothing about it, dont you think?
    Have a great weekend!
    *kisses* HH

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  4. Wowza. Fussy indeed but I'm intrigued (which I often am when I visit your site). We are months away from fresh corn but I will most definitely make this when it hits our markets.

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  5. I never thought about making my own cream corn, what a great recipe! I do love fresh corn, this is a perfect way to use it!

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  6. Interesting! I love all these little techniques you learn along the way with that book and it sounds like chef Keller is fairly generous with his knowledge and precise in his directions; I watch a French chef show online and most of the time their techniques are brushed over, so you never really know how to reproduce what you just saw; frustrating.
    Looks like a great meal Lisa, very refined

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  7. great silking suggestion! these dishes are both simple yet elegant and surely quite tasty. the lime in the corn is particularly intriguing to me!

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  8. Love that it's called asparagus COINS. definitely adds a whimsical element to it! And I love creamed corn, too...even though I don't like corn that much, it's lovely in that dish!

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  9. I was actually thinking of cooking from Ad Hoc at Home tomorrow evening, now you have inspired me! Off to the Farmer's Market to see what I can find...

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  10. First of all, it was interesting to read about Deborah Madison. I had never heard of those two books and will ask for them in the library! Thanks for doing this series, Lisa.

    I don't think there is anything I love more than those two veggies. I think I eat asparagus more than corn and although I usually roast it, I'm going to try the chive oil and parsley water trick. I do love Ad Hoc!

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  11. Wonderful side dishes. Never heard of this method of making parsley water before.

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  12. wow this is lovely, and great colour too!

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  13. I enjoy looking at this beautiful dish! locve the way the sweetcorn is being done! :)

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  14. I love the name of asparagus coins! Those are both excellent side dishes, both with my daughter's newly favorite veggies!

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  15. Can I just say Yum! like 50 times? My kids might have eaten asparagus had they been named something like Asparagus Coins. So much for the joys of thinking while raising kids...

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  16. Thanks for sharing such great tips in preparing simple side dishes. Both corn and asparagus are my son's favourite. You made them look so tasty and kids-friendly. ;)

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  17. I like that you name the asparagus...coins....and with the golden buttered corn...it seems so lucky to eat everything. :D

    I enjoy the simplicity and the balance of flavors in your dishes.

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  18. I kind of like the idea of having fussier side dishes. I feel like I often spend so much time focusing on the main course that the sides fall to the wayside, which is unfortunate because they can be so delicious! Like these!

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  19. I can't get enough asparagus, what with an abundance of it in our markets here in Seattle just now. Thanks for giving me a new way of making it - looks fabulous!

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  20. Wow, those are delicious looking vegetable dishes!!

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  21. I can't get enough of cream corn and asparagus! Both are my absolute favourites!

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  22. creamed corn is one of my fave side dishes in a western meal and yours look very good. I also love the idea of cutting the asparagus to coins, I have to try that some day.

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  23. Creamed corn...yum...asparagus coins sound so cute.

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  24. The book is awesome! I only made two recipes from it yet, both winners (roast chicken, and the cauliflower soup)

    I have the creamed corn in my "to make soon" mental folder... your endorsement comes at a perfect time!

    Loved the asparagus coins too....

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  25. Aw you are quite like me...what I have on my mind, I have to do! Love the creamed corn! YUM!!

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  26. I'm intrigued by your version of creamed corned with lime and cayenne pepper. I happen to have a couple of ears in the kitchen, so I'm going to try this tonight. Thanks for sharing.

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  27. Creamed corn for me has always come in a can. I am sure this does not resemble it in the slightest. Can't wait for the season.

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  28. Yum, sounds absolutely amazing. Creamed corn has me thinking of all the paring options.

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