Sweet Summer Corn Sauce

The secret to this simple corn sauce is super-sweet corn. Olathe corn is wonderful, but I’m partial to the corn we get from Carl Musso’s Family Farm in Pueblo. I’ve got a tool for measuring sugar levels and the highest readings I’ve ever gotten on any fruit or vegetable were from Carl’s Peaches & Cream Corn!

High sugar levels are what make peak season fruits, corn and tomatoes extra special; but once picked sugar levels cannot increase. Produce like corn and berries lose their sugar quickly when
warm, but this is greatly slowed with refrigeration. Fruits like peaches, melons and tomatoes don’t lose sugar nearly as fast, and continue to ripen / soften at room temperature, so they should not be refrigerated (unless they risk over-ripening!)

This ‘recipe’ doesn’t actually require a recipe at all!  Start by bringing home about 1 ear of corn per person, heavy cream and a couple sweet onions (Carl Musso’s Vidalia-seed onions are the best I’ve ever tasted, and available at Tony’s most of the summer). I usually skip the small containers of heavy cream and go for a quart, the price is much better and it comes with a
free excuse to make ice cream tomorrow!

Slowly sweat (sautéing without browning) chopped onions in olive oil, about 2-3 TBS per ear
of corn (or whatever you like). Meanwhile, shuck the corn and remove the little ‘hairs’ with a damp towel. Cut the kernels from the cob into a bowl and scrape the cob with the back of the knife to capture all the sweet ‘milk’ inside.

Puree about half of the corn in a food processor or blender (add a splash of cream if it sticks) and add to the tender sweated onions along with the remaining whole kernels of corn. Add a pour of cream, about 2 TBS per ear of corn, season with salt and pepper and simmer for just a couple minutes to marry and thicken – not too long so the whole kernels will remain a little
crisp. Taste, adjust and serve. Note, if fat is not too big a concern, consider increasing the cream and finishing with a couple pats of butter; it’s good without it, but OMG!

This sauce is amazing with fish, shellfish and white meats like chicken and pork, even when grilled. If you like spicy foods, consider seasoning your meat or fish with our Cajun or another spicy seasoning for that magical interplay of sweet and spicy tastes.

Mashed potatoes are amazing with this dish, but rice is also a great choice. A finishing garnish of diced tomatoes, bell peppers, green onions or even basil or mint adds a lovely touch.

In the video I used our Crab Croquette Appetizers, we make them by hand, deep fry and freeze so they can just be heated in the oven, or sautéed in a pan. You could also reshape any our fresh crab, salmon or Lobster Trio cakes into smaller croquettes and roll in panko for tiny cakes, or even make your own. I also recommend scallops, shrimp, lobster or any fish fillet you fancy, season them up or bread them and sear in a pan or on the grill.

When sautéing, I like to start with frozen or ice cold croquettes so they turn out extra brown on the outside and still moist in the middle. In general it’s best to keep seafood as cold as possible before cooking, seafood cooks quick and can be tricky to get nicely browned before it’s overcooked.

The season is now; don’t let a single day go by without savoring the amazing peak season produce in our markets while they last! – Cheers!  Mick Rosacci, TonysMarket.com  — TonyRosacciCatering.com