Creamed Corn with Vidalia Onions and Chive Oil
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Serves
6-8
Ingredients
- 3.5 cups corn (or 5 cobs with kernels removed)
- 1/2 cup cream
- 3 tablespoons salted European style butter
- 1/4 cup creme fraiche
- 1/2 vidalia onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp corn starch
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon chopped chives
- 1/4 cup high quality extra virgin olive oil
- Crunchy sea salt
Steps
1
Cut the corn off the cob and set aside. Reserve the cobs to “milk”. Scrape the cobs with a butter knife to extract as much liquid as possible over a bowl (I got about 1/4 cup from five cobs). Strain the liquid of the solid pieces and set the strained liquid aside. Wash the strainer right away because you will be using it again.
2
Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to a pan over medium heat and cook the onions for 2-4 minutes just to sweat. You’re not trying to develop any color on the onions, just softening them into the butter.
3
Add in the corn kernels to the onions and butter and continue to cook, stirring to full incorporate.
4
Add in the corn milk, cream, and creme fraiche and reduce to low heat. Stir to combine. Mix cornstarch with 1 teaspoon water to make a slurry and stir that in as well. Take the pan off the heat. Top with last tablespoon of butter and cover.
5
In a small miniprep food processor, add 2 tablespoons of chopped chives and olive oil. Blend on high until the chives form a pulp and the olive oil begins to turn light green. Strain the mixture through fine mesh strainer and set the strained oil aside. Discard remaining chive pulp.
6
Plate the corn and top each serving with as much of the chive oil as desired and crunchy sea salt.
Corn and cream…name a better pairing!
This is something you just HAVE to try! Creamed corn is kind of an old school southern side dish that you would find at potlucks, church lunches, or even the Thanksgiving table. I would venture to say that it’s usually far from “fresh”. This recipe is somehow delicate and light (even with all the cream) and some of the crunch from the fresh corn is preserved. Adding the vidalia onions (which are naturally sweet) really amps up the sweetness of the corn, as well as the corn milk. The chive oil is herby and pungent and compliments the corn very nicely. Fresh summer corn is best here, but next best would be frozen kernels.
One thing I hope to convey in my recipes, is the importance of finishing salt. This dish is elevated beyond belief just with the addition of crunchy sea salt. You need it to balance all the sweetness, but you wont believe how nice the added texture is. Finishing salt is not an option!
My favorite protein to go with this side dish is simply seasoned beef filet. Seared, sliced and topped right on the corn!