Zucchini Ricotta Fritters

Over the course of the next few weeks, there will be an over abundance of zucchini ready for harvesting in gardens and available for sale at farmer's markets. While there may be no scientific evidence to prove otherwise, there will be more loaves of zucchini bread baked during the months of August and September than there will be enough room in every freezer to store them. We will collectively be on zucchini bread overload, weary of anyone we know having a bumper crop of zucchini growing in their gardens and convinced their bread recipe would win the blue ribbon at every county fair within two hundred miles. Secretly we hope after receiving a third loaf of zucchini bread, the next gift of zucchini is simply in its' freshly harvested form. Not just so we can out do the zucchini bread bakers by making an infinite number of jars of zucchini pickles, but so we can use them to make a cold refreshing zucchini crudi or fry up a batch of zucchini ricotta fritters. 

If you have been a big fan of potato pancakes or latkes (and really, who isn't?), it is quite possible you will switch your allegiance to zucchini ricotta fritters, temporarily during the late summer months, if not permanently. Not only because the fritters are much easier to make (along with no worries about discoloration), they are layered with flavor. From the scallions, to the garlic, to the lemon zest, to the fresh ricotta, and of course, to the zucchini, you will be indulging your taste buds to the point of spoiling them rotten. 

Before the zucchini from your garden or sold at the farmer's markets become baseball bat size, harvest or buy them while they are still growing, while they are their most flavorful and while they have the best skin to flesh ratios. 

If possible, use a combination of the dark green, light green and/or yellow zucchini. While they all taste exactly the same, their grated skins make for a more colorful fritter.

As allowing the grated zucchini to drain when making zucchini bread is important, it is almost critical in the making of these fritters. By reducing some of the moisture in the zucchini, the fritter will be crispier when fried. And no one wants to eat a soggy fritter. 

If you can find fresh sheep's milk ricotta, buy it. But if you can't, any high quality fresh ricotta (the one you find in the deli counter) will do. And if by chance you are so inclined to make your own fresh ricotta (on the day of making these fritters I wasn't so inclined), go for it. 

After all of the ingredients are mixed together, extra-virgin olive oil is heated in the skillet until it is shimmering. At that point, it is a perfect temperature for sautéing and frying. You know your oil is at the shimmering point when it is nice and hot, but not yet smoking. When the oil forms 'tines' like those on a wine glass. It may even have an iridescent color to it. When it reaches this point, your reduce the likelihood of your food sticking to the bottom of the pan or worse, soaking up all of the oil. 

The sautéing and/or frying time on the fritters will range slightly depending on how large you make them. For fritters made with approximately two tablespoons of the batter, the total cooking time will range between 3 to 4 minutes. Both sides of the fritter should be cooked until they are a beautiful golden brown. The cooked fritters are transferred to a baking sheet or platter lined with a paper towel to allow some of the moisture from the oil to be absorbed.

Once all of the fritters have been made, they are transferred to a platter for serving. The fritters can be cooked at least two hours ahead of serving, left out at room temperature, and reheated on a baking sheet in a 325 degree preheated oven. During the reheating process the fritters will re-crisp.

These fritters can simply be serve with lemon wedges, but for added flavor serve with labna, sour cream, or a yogurt/lemon juice mixture. Labna is a Middle Eastern soft and tangy cows milk yogurt cheese, one creamier, tangier and thicker than yogurt. It is incredibly delicious all on its' own, without the addition of any olive oil, lemon juice, or fresh herbs. Honestly, I think I liked it more than sour cream.

Pick or pick up some zucchini this weekend. Invite over family or friends and make a platter of these zucchini ricotta fritters. They are bound to turn the most non-effusive of your friends into people you barely recognize. Those that claim they are not big fans of any food sautéed in extra-virgin olive oil, well they will be eating their words after taking a bite of these fritters. And oh, the self-professed 'sorry but I don't like zucchini' people, they will have a religious conversion experience. 

Recipe
Zucchini Ricotta Fritters (inspired by Mario Batali's Zucchini-Ricotta Fritters recipe shared in Food and Wine, August 2011)

Ingredients
2-3 zucchini (about 14-16 ounces), coarsely grated (if possible, choose a combination of dark green, light green and/or yellow skinned zucchini)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
3-4 scallions, green and white parts, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese, homemade or store bought
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt for finishing
Lemon wedges
Labna, yogurt/lemon juice mixture and/or sour cream

Directions
1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Spread coarsely grated zucchini. Allow zucchini to drain for approximately 30 minutes. Roll up paper towel, squeezing out any additional liquid. 
2. In a large bowl, combine garlic, scallions, lemon zest, eggs, ricotta, salt, pepper, and grated/drained zucchini.
3. Mix in flour and baking soda, stirring until flour is fully incorporated.
4. Line a large platter or baking sheet with paper towels. Set aside.
5. In a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil until shimmering.
6. Working in batches, add 2 Tablespoon mounds of the zucchini batter into the hot oil. Fry over medium-high heat, turning once until browned and crisp on both sides. Approximately 3-4 minutes of cooking time. Placed cooked fritters on prepared baking sheet to allow fritters to drain. 
7. Transfer fritters to a platter, sprinkle with sea salt. Serve immediately with lemon wedges, labna (Middle Easter yoghurt), yogurt/lemon juice mixture (1 cup plain yogurt and 1 Tablespoons lemon juice mixed together) and/or sour cream.
Note: The fritters can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours. In a preheated 325 degree (F) oven, recrisp the fritters before serving.

An August sunset in Wheaton, Illinois.

Rustic Strawberry Tart

'The Queen of Hearts, she made some tarts, all on a summer day. The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts, and took them clean away!" (Alice's Adventure in Wonderland) After having slices of the delicious key lime and chocolate pecan pies at the Bang Bang Pie Shop in Chicago last week, I had my temporary fill or rather self-imposed quota of pie. But it was pie week in the blog world and it occurred to me this was not intended to mean one was supposed to only eat pie. Real pie, not humble pie.

Technically a tart is not a pie, however, I had my heart set on making this Rustic Strawberry Tart, pie week not withstanding. Sometimes you just need to listen to and follow your heart. Mine hasn't failed me yet, except when I choose not to listen to it.

. 

The Rustic Strawberry Tart didn't exactly turn out as I thought it would. The mascarpone cream was the main culprit (more on that later). I am not sure if I can say it turned out better than I had hoped or expected. And it certainly, most definitely wasn't worse. It was just different. And in my world different is a good thing.

Practice can indeed make things perfect. The first time I attempted rye puff pastry was in the making of the Blueberry and Rye Slab Pie. I fell deeply, hopelessly in love with the taste of the pastry crust (and the pie). However, I was not as enamored with the process of making the dough. In spite of reading the the dough can be a little fussy, I had hoped I would be given an exemption. Wishful thinking. Fast forward to this past weekend when the rye pastry dough making stars came into alignment. All of the anxiousness I had been secretly harboring over the making this dough was suddenly replaced with the kind of fearless courage I thought was reserved only for the Flying Wallendas. I won't go so far as to say I have now mastered this dough, but I can at least say I love everything about it.

When you hear the words rye pastry, the next words your brain almost immediately hears is rye bread. Other than having at least one common ingredient (rye flour), there are no other other similarities between them. Unlike the hearty, slightly sour taste of a (caraway) rye bread, the rye pastry dough has both sweet and nutty flavor tones, making it the perfect choice for use in both pies and tarts. Especially ones made with fruit. I would strongly encourage you to wait until your family and friends taste anything made with this pastry dough before revealing rye flour, actually dark rye flour was one of the ingredients. I am all for advocating for the adoption of the 'don't tell before you taste' mantra when serving something 'new'.

The number of turns made in rolling out the dough significantly affects the flakiness of the layers. More turns translates into more layers. At a minimum, the dough is rolled and turned twice. However, for this open-faced, baked until a deep golden brown tart crust, it was turned four times. In most contexts, flaky doesn't necessarily have a good connotation. But in the case of this dough, the highest compliment one could give to the baked tart crust is flaky.

The rolled out dough is brushed with an egg wash and pricked with a fork before going into a preheated 400 degree (F) oven. Sprinkling the edge of the tart with sanding sugar is optional, but makes for a nice as well as delicious finishing touch. If making a more rustic looking, rectangular or oval in shape tart, you won't need the sanding sugar.

Mascarpone cheese generally has a consistency similar to a softened cream cheese. For some unknown reason, the one I bought from Whole Foods had a much creamier consistency. Only because it had such a delicious taste I decided to use it. Little did I know how much more challenging the tart assembly was going to be. I needed to keep reminding myself I was supposed to be going for a rustic, not refined rustic look to the strawberry tart. In the end it all worked, however, the next time I make this open-faced tart, I will definitely use BelGioioso's mascarpone as it has a 'thicker, more spreadable' consistency. Staying with the brand I had used before versus going with one I was unfamiliar would have been the wiser option. Lesson learned.

If you create a more free form tart using almost all or all of the rye puff pastry, you will most likely need more than a pound of freshly sliced strawberries. For this tart, the strawberries were cut into 1/4 inch slices, then layered in a circular pattern (starting at the edge of the tart and working toward the center) on top of the mascarpone cream layer. Another tart finishing option would be to cut the strawberries in half, arranging in either a circular pattern or in rows. This is one of those 'no hard and fast' rules, anything goes kind of tarts. And almost any kind of berry or mixture of berries would pair perfectly with both the crust and lightly sweetened mascarpone cream. After you make and taste the rye puff pastry, you will find a reason to make this tart often. 

Baked to a deep golden color, the buttery, crisp creates more of a hand-held versus fork eating kind of tart. Use your sharpest knife or even a pizza cutter to cut the tart into wedges, slices, squares, or any free form shape.

The Rustic Strawberry Tart is best served immediately after completely assembled as the dough will lose some of its' crispness if allowed to absorb the mascarpone cheese layer for more than a couple of hours. With the exception of cutting up and arranging the strawberries, the rye pastry dough could be rolled out and baked early in the day and the mascarpone cream mixture kept in the refrigerator until ready to use. 

Making the strawberry tart round created a more refined rustic than rustic look. However, the arrangement of strawberries definitely made it look more rustic than refined. It tasted absolutely delicious. I would go so far as to say it was one of those 'steal' worthy tarts. 

Note: This rye puff pastry is so flavorful it would be a punishable kind of sin to throw any of the dough away. After cutting a 10 inch circle out of the dough, I had enough left to make a half-dozen 'pie crust' cookies. Brushed with the egg wash and sprinkled with a coarse sanding sugar, the cookies baked to a deep golden color in 12-15 minutes. 

Recipe
Rustic Strawberry Tart (Rye Pastry adapted from Kim Boyce's recipe in her Good to the Grain cookbook, Super Simple Strawberry Tart recipe adapted from Yossy Arefi)

Ingredients
Dough
4.25 ounces dark rye flour (recommend Bob's Red Mill)
4.25 ounces all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 ounce (3 teaspoons) granulated sugar
6 ounces cold unsalted butter, cut into chunks
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
4 ounces ice cold water

Tart
1 to 1 1/2 pounds fresh strawberries, stems removed, cut into 1/4 inch slices
8 ounces mascarpone cheese (recommend BelGioioso Mascarpone cheese)
3 Tablespoons caster sugar, divided (can use superfine or granulated sugar)
1 large egg, for egg wash
Sanding sugar, optional
Note: Could use a mixture of berries (blackberries, raspberries and/or strawberries)

Directions
Dough
1. In a large bow, mix together the flours, salt and sugar. Add in the cold butter and using either a pastry cutter or your fingers, rub it into the flour mixture until it breaks up into small pieces. Note: If the day is exceptionally hot, the pastry cutter might be the better option. 
2. Combine the cold water and cider vinegar in a measuring cup.
3. Make a well in the center of the flour/butter mixture, and slowly pour the water into the dough all while you are mixing gently. Continue mixing until the water is evenly distributed and the dough holds together when you squeeze it. Note: It may look a little dry. Do not worry as long as it holds together when you form it into a square. If it does not hold together, add a bit more cold water.
4. Transfer the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour (or overnight). Note: I removed the dough after 90 minutes.
5. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a 9" x 11" (or thereabouts) rectangle. With the long side of the dough facing you, gently fold the dough into thirds. Then turn the dough so the seam is at the top or parallel to your body. Roll out the dough into another rectangle. Repeat the folding and rolling process for a total of 4 times. Wrap the dough in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Note: I removed it after 3 hours.

Tart and Assembly
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a rectangle, oval, circle or random shape to 1/8" or 1/4" thickness. Trim edges, if necessary, and transfer to baking sheet.
3. Using a fork, prick the crust to prevent the dough from puffing up too much. Brush with a beaten egg. Note: At this point, if using a coarse sanding sugar to create a finished edge, sprinkle on before placing in the oven.
4. Bake dough until it is a deep, deep golden brown (approximately 25-30 minutes of baking time). Remove baked dough from oven and allow to cool completely.
5. Combine the mascarpone cheese with two tablespoons of caster sugar (or superfine or granulated sugar). Spread the cheese mixture over the cooled crust. 
6. Arrange strawberries in a decorative pattern. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon of caster sugar.
7. Serve immediately. Notes: Cut with a sharp knife or pizza cutter when serving. Tart is best served the day it is fully assembled. 

 Currents, gooseberries and strawberries at the farmer's market.

Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas w/ Sea Salt

"Summer is the annual permission slip to be lazy. To do nothing and have it count for something. To lie in the grass and count the stars. To sit on a branch and study the clouds." (Regina Brett) With an extended heat wave continuing here in the midwest, I have given myself permission to have moments of laziness. Rather than take on the making of an ambitious recipe or turning on the oven to bake a pie (because it's pie week in the foodblog world) or a cake (because it's birthday week in my world), I am instead taking the time to actually read and not skim through some of the cookbooks bought in recent months. Which not so unpredictably has caused my heart to race and brain go into overload. With a pretty high degree of confidence, I don't think this is what laziness is supposed to feel like. Trying to refrain from turning on the oven feels more like a punishment than a welcome, if only a short-lived, reprieve. Because after all, what would a birthday be without a homemade cake?

Earlier last week I dipped some slices of banana in dark chocolate, sprinkled them with flaky sea salt and then put them in the freezer. Many have claimed a frozen banana very closely resembles ice cream. Epicurious ranked them first on their list of the eleven foods that taste amazing frozen. While we can't believe everything we read on the internet or in the opinions of foodbloggers, this would be one of those times when fact and opinion were in complete sync with one another. Taking somewhat of a slight departure here, my dissertation advisor and friend recently posted the article "No It's Not Your Opinion, You're Just Wrong". Regardless of the arena you work in, but especially if you work in higher education, you might enjoy this quick read. You might even make it required reading.

Okay, back to the chocolate covered bananas. As much as I loved these 'little' bites, warm hands, hot weather, and chocolate don't play nice with each other. So I wanted to try putting the bananas on a popsicle stick. Of course, I didn't want to use the 'normal', long, slender popsicle sticks, I wanted those shorter, shapely, 'bowtie' ones. Nor did I want to cut the bananas in half widthwise and insert the stick in the cut end of the banana, because I wanted them to be a little more like a three-bite healthy, slightly indulgent snack versus one bordering on the 'healthier than ice cream' meal size. In the spirit of full disclosure, I probably made it a little harder on myself, but I absolutely loved how they turned out. 

These can be either a three ingredient or a four ingredient Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas w/ Sea Salt treat. Having recently read somewhere (and now I cannot find the resource to give credit where credit should be given), adding a small amount of white chocolate to dark and/or semi-sweet chocolate creates a creamier, glossier finish to the set chocolate. However, if you have had great success tempering dark and/or semi-sweet chocolate without the use of white chocolate, then making these bananas becomes a three ingredient endeavor.

Your choice of bananas matters significantly. Like Goldilocks search for the perfect bed to sleep in, don't choose a banana that is too hard (or underripe) and don't choose one that is too soft (or overripe, banana bread making perfect). Choose bananas that are 'just right', somewhere between too hard and too soft. I understand this may not be precise enough for those of you who have never made chocolate covered frozen bananas before. So my best guidance on 'just right' is simply 'almost ripe but still firm' and with the peels being mostly yellow but still having a tinge of green. I know this still may not be precise enough. If anyone out there has a better description of 'just right' bananas for dipping and freezing, please enlighten all of us and share!

Cutting bananas on the diagonal, in approximately 2 1/2-3" lengths and with a thickness of approximately 3/4", made it possible to successfully insert the bowtie popsicle sticks through the center or side of the banana. In choosing to insert the popsicle stick in two different places, the finished bananas looked more whimsical than uniform. In my world, whimsy is a good thing. Once the sticks are inserted into the bananas, place on a parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet and put in the freezer. The tray of bananas should be uncovered and remain in the freezer for at least two hours.

Within five minutes, the frozen bananas will begin to thaw when removed from the freezer. So when dipping them into the chocolate work in batches. Trust me, I learned this the hard way. 

After dipping all of the bananas, drizzle some of the remaining chocolate over the dipped bananas and immediately sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt. Return the bananas to the freezer until they are fully set (approximately 20 minutes). Remove from the baking sheet and place in a tightly sealed freezer safe container or in freezer plastic storage bags. You can also wrap them in cellophane and tie off with a ribbon or string.

If you like your frozen chocolate covered bananas firm when you bite into them, serve them right out of the freezer. If you like them to be a little on creamy side, allow them to sit out for 5 minutes before serving. Either way you serve them, they are incredibly delicious. Perfect to satisfy a sweet tooth craving for 'ice cream' on a hot summer day. They definitely fall into the category of a guilt-free pleasure.

If the summer heat is just too much and you can't bring yourself to turn on the oven to make a homemade birthday cake, at least make something chocolate, something that tastes like ice cream. Because a birthday without cake is one thing, but a birthday without both cake and ice cream is a whole different story. These homemade Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas w/ Sea Salt for the ice cream part of the birthday celebration should be more than enough to salvage the day. 

Recipe
Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas

Ingredients
4-5 large bananas, almost ripened but still firm, cut on the diagonal in 3/4" widths (if inserting popsicle sticks) or cut into 1/2" widths (if dipping only)
1 pound dark or semi-sweet chocolate
1/4 cup white chocolate, chopped
Flaky Sea Salt for finishing
Alternate and probably easier way to cut bananas: Using 6-7 medium bananas, cut the bananas in half, widthwise, and insert the popsicle stick through the cut end of each half. 

Directions
1. Line two baking sheets with either parchment paper or foil. 
2. Place cut bananas (either with or without a popsicle stick inserted in) on one of the prepared baking sheets. Place in freezer, uncovered, for at least two hours.
3. Melt dark or semi-sweet chocolate in either the microwave or over a double boiler. Note: Add chopped white chocolate to melted dark or semi-sweet chocolate to temper the chocolate. Stir until smooth.
4. Working in batches, dip bananas one at a time into the melted chocolate and place on the second prepared baking sheet.
5. Drizzle remaining chocolate over dipped bananas and sprinkle lightly with flaky sea salt.
6. Return dipped bananas to the freezer. When completely set (approximately 20 minutes) place frozen bananas in a sealed container or in freezer ziplock bags.
7. Enjoy directly out of the freezer or set out for at least five minutes before serving.

Farmer's Market Cinnamon Cake Donuts and Pretzels. 

Elotes Callejeros (Grilled Mexican Street Corn)

By most definitions, my life growing up in the midwest might be considered a safe, sheltered one. Whether this was due to the town I lived in or the time period I grew up in or some combination of both, I have not yet been able to commit to a definitive answer to my working theories. The first glimpse into the new and different windows of the world, so to speak, occurred on the first day of my freshman year in college. While my would-be alma mater was only a hundred and thirty miles from my hometown, it felt more like I had taken a transcontinental journey to get there. Only instead of ending up at the edge of the ocean, I would end up spending the next five years of my life surrounded by cornfields. The frames of reference I had grown up with were suddenly being challenged and expanded. And that was even before my first official day of class. While there were so many different and significant experiences and individuals influencing my thinking back then, the one giving me yet another glimpse into the world and maybe into my soul came from living with one of my sorority sisters during my senior year. She was what I would call a voracious reader. I would have been at that time someone who read because they had to. As I watched her as she read (it seemed like she always had a book with her) and listened to her talk about the books she was reading, I realized there was another way to experience the world, gain perspective, become more empathic, make connections, and strengthen my vocabulary (if I had only met her four years earlier maybe my rhetoric grade wouldn't have brought down my GPA). Books, I came to discover, could take your mind, heart, and soul to all sorts of places, regardless of the place or time one lived in. And from that moment on, I knew books would always be a constant, significant part of and influencer in my life. Anna Quindlen captured it best when she wrote "Books are the plane, the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home."

While I sometimes think myself as a little more worldly when it comes to food, I get the 'you are not quite as worldly as you think' reality check every now and then. Up until this past weekend my idea of eating grilled corn was lathering it with butter and sprinkling it with salt. But then I had my first taste of Elotes Callejeros otherwise known as Grilled Mexican Street Corn. Momentary speechlessness was followed by a close imitation of the restaurant scene in 'When Harry Met Sally'. My grilled corn world was never going to be the same again.

Elotes Callejeros (Grilled Mexican Street Corn) is salty, sweet, creamy, nutty, smokey, and savory with a bit of tartness. As brazen as this may sound, let me put myself out there and say it should be the only way grilled corn should be made. While I have no plausible explanation as to how it was possible this deeply flavored, charred corn never before made an appearance in my life, I offer no apologies for making what may sound like an audacious grilled corn making claim to some of you. None whatsoever. Seriously, this corn is that good. And honestly, after you taste grilled corn made this way, you will realize I really wasn't taking any risks with my opinion here at all.

This recipe is an amalgamation of the dozens of recipes I came across in cookbooks and online when researching Elotes Callejeros (Grilled Mexican Street Corn). All of the recipes had lime juice, either queso fresco or cotija cheese, and some kind of 'hot' spice listed in their ingredients. Melted butter, mayonnaise, Mexican Crema, sour cream, or a mixture of them made up the base of the creamy sauce. Garlic, salt, and/or cilantro appeared in some of the variations.

This version uses both mayonnaise and Mexican Crema, minced garlic, kosher salt, cayenne pepper and a Mexican Spice Blend from Morton and Bassett. I chose the spice blend because it was made up of cumin, garlic, paprika, white pepper, thyme and onion allowing me to control the heat by supplementing with cayenne pepper. As for the cheeses, I thought using both the fresh queso fresco and aged cotija would add the right amount of creaminess to the texture and nuttiness to the flavor of the elotes. Rather than putting lime juice in the sauce, I reserved it to squeeze over the grilled corn. 

Most varieties of yellow corn and bi-color corn tend to be on the sweet side. Based on years living in corn country, my personal preference is bi-color corn. Yellow in color corn tends to have larger, fuller flavored kernels (as compared to white corn). While there are are varieties of white corn sweeter in flavor than yellow corn, their kernels tend to be smaller. Large kernels seem to work better for this grilled corn recipe. 

It is essential the corn in its husk be soaked in water for at least 45-60 minutes before being placed on the grill the first time. Technically the corn gets grilled twice, but I am getting ahead of myself. Water soaked husks are less likely to catch on fire when placed on the grill. 

The water soaked corn is placed on a medium-high grill for 15-20 minutes. While grilling, rotate all sides of the corn to ensure they are evenly exposed to the heat. Some charring will occur in the first grilling. When the grilled corn is easy to handle (approximately 5-10 minutes of wait time), the husks are pulled back and the silk is removed. You can completely remove the husk along with the silk, but in doing so you will have less of a 'handle' to the corn.

The prepared 'sauce' is brushed on each piece of the shucked, grilled corn and then returned to the grill a second time. This return to the grill allows the sauce to begin to flavor the kernels while giving the kernels another chance to become slightly more charred.

This second grilling takes less than 5 minutes and requires you carefully watch and rotate.

Lime juice is squeezed over the corn before the sauce is brushed on for a second time. The second application of the sauce not only deepens the flavor of the corn but becomes the adhesive for the grated queso fresco and cotija cheeses.

The Elotes Callejeros (Grilled Mexican Street Corn) would pair well with grilled steaks or grilled chicken, Fish Tacos with Chipotle Slaw, or enchiladas. With some ice cold beer, it can become a meal. Plan on making more than one ear of this corn when serving. Two ears might be too much for some, but one and a half, well that should be just about right.

If you happen upon a Farmer's Market in the week or weeks ahead, pick up some freshly picked corn. Because if there is only one new recipe you make off of the blog this month, make this one. If by any chance you have never before had Elotes Callejeros (Grilled Mexican Street Corn), it would make me incredibly happy to be the one opening up the window to this incredibly delicious, decadent grilled corn world for you. Because in one taste, similar to the experience of reading a great book, this way of grilling and serving corn will take you to either new or familiar places. Buen apetito!

Recipe
Elotes Callejeros (Grilled Mexican Street Corn)

Ingredients
6-8 ears of corn, in the husk (bi-color corn if it is available, if not a sweet yellow corn)
3 Tablespoons mayonnaise
3 Tablespoons Mexican Crema or Mexican Style Sour Cream
1 teaspoon Mexican Blend Spice (recommend Morton and Bassett brand)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional if you don't like any heat at all)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 cup freshly grated queso fresco
1/2 cup freshly grated cotija cheese
2 limes

Directions
1. Soak corn in their husk in a deep pan of water or clean sink for approximately 45-60 minutes. Weight corn down with a pan or heavy plate so it is completely submerged. Note: It is important for the husks to have time to absorb the water as this will prevent them for catching on fire on the grill. 
2. In a small bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Mexican Crema, Mexican Blend Spice, cayenne pepper, kosher salt and minced garlic. Set aside.
3. Mix grated queso fresco and cotija cheese together in a medium-sized rectangular or oval bowl. Set aside.
4. Remove corn from water and place on grill set to medium-high heat. Grill for approximately 15-20 minutes, turning until all sides have had the chance to begin to cook. Remove from grill.
5. When cool enough to handle, pull down silk and husks (remove silk but keep husks to use as a handle). Or remove both silk and husks.
6. Lightly brush corn with the mayonnaise/creme/spice mixture and grill until the corn begins to char/brown (approximately 2-3 minutes). Remove from grill. Note: Watch the corn carefully, turning at least once to prevent burning.
7. Squeeze lime juice over grilled corn. Using a pastry brush corn again with mayonnaise/creme/spice mixture. Roll in or sprinkle grated cheeses evenly over corn. Serve immediately.

Additional notes: (1) Can use sour cream in place of the Mexican Crema and/or Mexican Style Sour Cream, (2) Can use only grated queso fresco or grated cotija cheese rather than a mixture of the two, and (3) If bi-color corn is not available, choose a large kernel sweet corn.

Lego Sculptures at Morton Arboretum in Lisle, IL