I found a new way to make corn yesterday!  If you are a regular reader here you know I have made my share of corn recipes.  This week’s special is Carmelized Corn, Mango and Bacon.  Yes, I said mango and it was delicious.

Last night I came home determined to use up food in my refrigerator.  Sometimes my eyes are much bigger than my schedule when grocery shopping and I hate wasting food.  I had opened up this cookbook Spur of the Moment Cook.  It was a book my friend Deanna first discovered when we were both honing our cooking and entertaining skills.  The recipes are easy to put together and she has interesting flavor combinations.

I cooked the bacon and drained all but 1 teaspoon of it and then added the butter.

With half a jalapeno left, I diced and threw that in which was a smart choice.  A few minutes later I added the fresh corn and maple syrup and cooked a few minutes more.  I topped with mango and it was done.  It is sweet, savory and crunchy all at the same time.  This would be great with grilled fish or chicken.  I think the kids will love it as well, maybe without the jalapeno.

This week our giveaway is week’s worth of meal coaching and a copy of Mary de Muth’sbook 150 Quick Questions To Get Your Kids Talking.

Do you need help with menu planning?

Have a picky eater and want tips?

Want to incorporate healthier recipes?

Want to learn how to cook one meal and end up with 3?

I will coach you for one week via email and provide a meal plan for one week for you and your family.  So here is how to enter – you can enter once or up to four times.  It is your choice!  Thank you all for playing here at Adventures In The Kitchen

To enter leave a comment saying why you want the meal coaching.

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The final way to enter is to send an email to friends and family you feel might enjoy the show or this site! Copy me on the email (cheri@adventuresinthekitchen.com). Then share that you did!

Caramelized Corn, Mango and Bacon
adapted from Spur of the Moment Cook by Perla Myers

4 cups fresh corn
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon bacon fat
1/3 cup bacon, cooked and diced
1 medium onion, peeled and finely minced
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and diced
4 tablespoons maple syrup
1 large mango, peeled and finely cubed
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat with one tablespoon bacon fat.   Add the onion and jalapeno; cook until soft but not browned.  Add the ban, corn and maple syrup and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and fold in the cilantro and mango.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

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My first week at work was halted when I came down with some horrid virus.  I don’t think I have ever called in sick on day 3 of a new job!  Have any of you?

Back to potatoes, one of my favorite foods.  These are versatile, throw in different herbs, squeeze some lemon, play around.  If there are left overs, fry them up for breakfast.

Remember to enter the weekly giveaway!

This week you can enter to win a $25 gift certificate to the Tom Kat Studios and a copy of one of Cathe Laurie’s favorite books, The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer.

Sign up for my new Adventures In The Kitchen newsletter for one entry.  For a second entry like my Facebook page and leave a comment here. Share “Check on the Tomkat Studio giveway and listen to Adventures In The Kitchen on KKLA 99.5″ on twitter or Facebook for a third one and leave a comment.

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I love green peas and was anxious to try the combination with pancetta and shallots.  I fiddled a it with the recipe by adding a tablespoon of Marscapone cheese and then I topped it shavings of the lovely Grana Pandano cheese I found at my favorite cheese store, The Breury.  They sell amazing artisan beer but they also feature an amazing selection of cheeses for sale.  No worries if that isn’t easily available in your area, Parmesan will substitute just fine.

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Corn is one of the foods that says summer to me.  Fresh corn cut off the cob can be transferred into tasty summer dishes.  A simple corn saute is heightened when you throw in a handful of fresh herbs.  This summer I have enjoyed having an herb garden.  I love being able to walk outside, clip a few herbs and add to a dish I am cooking.

One of the best things is being able to grow different herbs that you don’t regularly find in your grocery store, like thai basil or lemon thyme.  They are also one of the few things I do not kill in the garden.  I can cook, but gardening has been challenging.  I did manage to grow one solo jalapeno pepper.  Let’s not talk about the tomato plant.

This saute is brought together in minutes which is great for an after work meal.  I used basil, lemon thyme and a little bit of sage.  You can create your own mix.

Here are a few other corn recipes you might enjoy:

Fresh Corn Salad with Lime Jalapeno Vinaigrette
Mexican Cream Corn
Corn with Roasted Chiles, Creme Fraiche & Goat Cheese

Corn Saute with Fresh Herbs

2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, chopped
4 cups fresh corn kernels
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup assorted fresh herbs chopped

Melt butter in large skillet over media heat.  Add shallot and saute until golden brown.  Add corn kernels, salt and pepper.  Saute until corn is tender.  Remover from heat and mix in the fresh herbs.

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I never fry food.  I might love french fries but at home I oven bake them.  Then one day I saw a picture with a stack of crispy onion rings and that was it, I whipped out the Ipad and went to Google. Do you remember those bricks of onion rings Tony Roma’s served alongside a tangy barbeque sauce?  Now those were dangerous.

Gathering all the ingredients I soaked the onion rings in buttermilk and set up my station to dunk, dredge and dunk again. I slid them gently into the oil and watched the oil bubble around them until they were a golden brown.  I dropped them onto a stack of paper towels to soak up the excess oil and sprinkled them with sea salt.

My efforts were rewarded. The beer in the batter creates a light crispy coating around the onion rings.  Stack them up and serve them while you are outside grilling.  They will disappear quickly.

Beer Battered Onion Rings

2 yellow onions, sweet ones like Vidalia
2 cups buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
12 ounces beer, medium body
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

In a Dutch oven heat oil to 350 degrees F.

Cut onions 1/2-inch thick, separate into rings and soak in buttermilk for 1 hour.

Combine 1 cup of flour,  salt, pepper, mix thoroughly. In a medium bowl combine beer and 1 cup of flour, mix thoroughly.

Remove onion rings from buttermilk, shake off excess, dredge in flour, shake off excess, then dip in beer batter. Drop some onion rings in oil and continue process, being sure not to crowd rings as they will stick together. When golden, remove and let drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with coarse salt.

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One of my favorite sides is the corn pudding dish.  Usually I go right for Ina Garten’s but thought I’d try something new this year.  I saw this one from Alton and was intrigued.

Don’t forget to enter the Cookbook Giveaway by entering a comment on your favorite side dish here.

I used the Parmesan cheese but think I would substitute cheddar next time.  I would also add a cup of fresh corn.

Corn Bread Pudding
adapted from Alton Brown

1/2 onion, diced fine
1 ounce unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1 (15-ounce) can creamed style sweet corn
1 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, whole grain, stone ground
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Ground black pepper
2 cups cubed French bread

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sweat onions with butter and herbs in an oven safe skillet until translucent.

Combine corn, cream, eggs, baking powder, cornmeal, Parmesan, salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add cubed bread and fold to combine. Pour batter into skillet, right on top of the onion mixture. Bake 50 minutes, or until set. Cool slightly before serving.

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Yesterday was International Bacon Day.  Who knew and who creates these days?  A few weeks ago I tried Summer Succotash, a recipe I saw in More magazine several years ago.  It combined peas and corn, which are personal favorites with the addition of crispy bacon.

I loved how easy this was to put together.  The bacon gives a smoky flavor to fresh vegetables.

Summer Succotash
Serves 6 to 8

4 slices applewood smoked bacon, diced
1 sweet onion, diced
2 cups corn kernel
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 cups fresh or frozen sweet peas, blanched
3-4 sprigs of thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste

Cook bacon in a pan.  Once it begins to brown, add onions and cook until soft.  Add corn and garlic, saute 3 to 4 minutes.  Add peas and thyme; stir well.  Season with salt and pepper.

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I have a refrigerator full of food bought before the heat came upon us here in the OC.  One item was a few roasted Hatch chilies.  I first hear about from my Adopt a Blogger Adrienne at Hungry Bruno.  A few days later I saw them in Bristol Farms.  Curious, I bought a few.  The chile comes from Hatch, New Mexico and is the center of an annual Labor Day Weekend Chile Festival.

Last night I had to give in and roast them.  Not thinking clearly, I peeled them without gloves.  Just not a good idea.  I paid for that choice the rest of the evening.  I froze a few for future use but loved the flavor.

Tonight I was determined to use up a few things and went searching for a new recipe.  I found this one by Bobby Flay.  He is one of my favorite chefs.  I love how flavorful his recipes are.

When I took a bite of this I was in heaven.  It was tart from the creme fraiche and lime, creamy from the cheese and a bit of kick from the peppers.  If you have a Labor Day get together bring this and your friends will be gushing.

Corn with Roasted Chiles, Creme Fraiche & Cotija Cheese
adapted from a recipe by Bobby Flay
Serves: 4

3 tablespoons canola oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large shallot
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small roasted poblano chile, finely diced ( I used a hatch chile)
1 roasted red pepper, finely diced
8 ears fresh corn, kernels removed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons crème fraiche
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
¼ cup goat cheese, crumbled

Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the poblano, red pepper and corn and cook until the corn is tender, about -810 minutes.

Stir in butter, crème fraiche, lime juice and cilantro; transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with goat cheese.

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