Dear friends,
I thought I had seen it all when it came to corn. I have steamed, grilled, boiled, baked and microwaved it. I have turned it into ice cream, “milked” it for custard and transformed it into chowder and soufflé. But it turns out I had one more trick to learn: basting grilled corn with miso paste and butter. Yeow.
Miso — fermented soybean paste — is the ingredient I’m learning to reach for when a blah dish needs an extra, inconspicuous bit off oomph. It is more of a supporting player than the main flavor, adding an undefinable richness to a range dishes. Even corn, I learned.
The recipe that turned me on to this trick is from “The Gaijin Cookbook,” which also gave us that sublime mushroom chili recipe for Tofu Coney Island last winter. Author Ivan Orkin devised the corn recipe for a festival in New York City, where he and his wife are based. People went nuts, he said, for their grilled ears of corn basted with a mixture of miso, butter, garlic, sake, mirin and rice vinegar.
For his cookbook, Orkin turned the mixture into a pan sauce for corn sliced off the cob. I turned it back into a baste for corn I grilled over coals on my deck. But first, I had to keep Tony from spooning it right out of the pan. It’s that good.
GRILLED CORN WITH MISO BUTTER
4 ears fresh corn, husked
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. sake
2 tbsp. mirin
2 tbsp. white miso
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
Build a fairly hot charcoal fire or pre-heat a gas grill to medium-high.
Meanwhile, insert long wooden skewers into the fat end of the husked corn, if desired. Keep refrigerated until needed.
Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the garlic, stirring, until softened but not brown. Deglaze with the sake and mirin (bearing in mind that the alcohol can catch fire if the pan is very hot). Add the miso, rice vinegar and butter and whisk to dissolve the miso. Set aside.
When the coals have ashed over and are glowing, place corn on the grid directly over the coals. Brush the corn with some of the miso butter, turning the ears with tongs. Grill, turning occasionally and brushing with miso butter, until the corn is tender-crisp and beginning to char. Transfer to a plate and brush with remaining miso butter. Serves 4 or, more likely, 2. Possibly one.
Adapted from “The Gaijin Cookbook” by Ivan Orkin and Chris Ying.
GUT CHECK
What I cooked last week:
Rotisserie chicken, baked potato, corn on the cob; pesto, chicken, onion and tomato on whole-wheat toast; egg salad; spaghetti squash baked with ricotta and venison meat sauce; avocado toast with salsa and an egg over hard; edamame protein salad; grilled turkey Italian sausage sandwiches with grilled yellow squash and Tony’s home-grown watermelon.
What I ordered out:
Menchie’s sugar-free strawberry frozen yogurt; ricotta, caramelized onion, spinach and sausage pizza from Good Fellas in Sackets Harbor, N.Y.; half of a ham and cheese sub from Subway.
THE MAILBAG
From Connie, Fairlawn:
Your peaches and elderberry? Sounds great. However, in summer heat I have skipped oven and stove for a quick dessert. Try slicing whole, ripe peaches and fold in low-fat vanilla yogurt, just enough to coat. It tastes great to me and seems to keep well in a tight container.
Dear Connie:
Mmmm. My sister-in-law uses low-fat lemon yogurt, which is good, too. Another of my no-stove favorites is fruit spooned over low-fat ricotta cheese with a drizzle of honey.
From Ron C.:
FYI, GetGo in Wadsworth has $3.99 lobster roll salad which is not too bad. Lobster mixed with some pollock or other white fish. Doesn’t compare with the little grocery store near Bass Harbor campground in Maine, but again, not too bad.
Dear Ron:
I wasn’t able to get there before I left on vacation, but it’s on my dance card for my return. I’m sure it won’t rival chef Louis Prpich’s lobster roll at The Chowder House in Cuyahoga Falls, but I’m eager to give it a try.
From Chris F.:
I thought I would ask you to mention in your next newsletter about the dangers of eating elderberries fresh (not cooked). Elderberries contain cyanide and should not be eaten unless completely cooked. My sister and her partner recently ate some with their Sunday dinner and both became quite ill a short time after. I remember an uncle explaining to us kids to never eat the beautiful elderberries growing all around his property in rural Ohio. I’m guessing my sister wasn’t paying attention….
Dear Kris:
I seemed to recall something along those lines and researched the fruit before I picked it. Thank goodness, because you are so right. Baking the berries in the clafouti did the trick, because neither Tony nor I were ill after eating them.
From Christine O.:
You have elderberries! That’s so exciting. Since I moved to Charlotte, N.C., I see elderberry syrup all the time at the farmers’ markets around town. A quart of it sells for at least $20. They swear by it as the cure-all for whatever ails you. So, I had to figure out how to make it. Got a recipe online and ordered dried elderberries (from Ohio!) on Amazon. I have been taking a tablespoon of it every day for over a year. Does it work? I don’t know, but I haven’t been sick. I’ve attached the recipe for you.
ELDERBERRY SYRUP
In a pan combine 1/2 cup dried elderberries with 3 cups water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, uncovered. Allow to cool slightly, then pour the berries and water into a blender. Blend. Strain, then add 1 cup of honey. Blend well, then store in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator. Dosage: For adults, 1 tablespoon up to 3 times a day for 5 days. Consult your doctor with concerns, or if your symptoms worsen or persist.
Dear Christine:
Elderberry syrup, an old-time remedy, remains popular. I don’t know how effective it is, but it is an antioxidant. The Internet has recipes for syrup made with fresh berries, too.