Ancho Cream Corn
Why I Love This Recipe
One of many fantastic recipes found in Lisa Fain's cookbook, The Homesick Texan. I love cream corn. I love corn casserole. I love grilled corn. Corn is good. Ancho Cream Corn is better! The ancho chile addition....WOW!! It adds a wonderful smokey flavor that I just can't get enough of. It's not hot...so you other wimps out there (I say "other" because when it comes to heat...I'm a total wimp!) don't have anything to worry about. The ancho flavor just mixes itself into the cream and makes you go "mmmmmm" with every bite as you're digging your spoon in for another.
Ingredients You'll Need
1 dried ancho chile, stem and seeds removed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3 cuz I love garlic)
5 cups of corn, fresh or frozen (It took 7 ears of shucked fresh corn for me to get 5 cups)
1 cup heavy cream
4 oz cream cheese
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon lime juice (about 1 - 2 limes, depending on how juicy they are)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cotija cheese, crumbled, to garnish (I used queso fresco ranchero cheese)
Directions
In a hot skillet, no oil....toast the ancho chile for about 10 seconds. Add enough water to cover the chili and bring to a boil. Turn the heat off and let "soak" for about 30 minutes. By this time, the chili should be soft. Rinse the chili and dice. Set aside. (toss the soaking water out)
While the chile is soaking, if you're using fresh corn, this would be a good time to shuck it and cut all those kernels off the cob.
In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and saute for about 1 minute. Add the corn, heavy cream, cream cheese, cumin, cayenne and diced ancho chile. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with cheese.