Roasted Corn with Manchego and Lime

I love summer.  Now if only the temperatures in NYC would drop back down to 80 degrees or below I would be a happy happy girl.  I'm totally over it with the 90-100 degrees plus humidity.  But I still love summer and fresh sweet corn is one of my favorite things about summertime.  That and watermelon.  And once upon a time, summer vacation.  But I love corn and I always have.  Growing up my dad grew corn in the backyard and we would eat it steamed with some butter and a sprinkling of salt.  Then I got to China where I would eat it fresh off the grill from Xinjiang food vendors with some sort of spicy seasoning blend.  When I moved to NYC I discovered Mexican elote, which is boiled or roasted corn on the cob topped with mayo, chili powder and cheese. This recipe vaguely reminds me of elote, only without the mayo.  But the combination of cheese, lime and a hint of heat with your corn is totally reminiscent of elote, even if this version is a little fancier (which you would expect it to be since the recipe comes from Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Dan Kluger of ABC Kitchen).  The flavor profile totally works together and you don't want to mess too much with a good thing, but there's nothing wrong with adding a few fun flourishes!  And these flourishes (particularly the jalapeno and the lime zest) totally worked for the dish.  We will definitely be adding this recipe to our list of those that we will make again. 

Recipe after the jump!

Roasted Corn with Manchego and Lime

Bon Appetit

August 2011

INGREDIENTS:

6 ears of sweet yellow corn, unhusked

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 jalapeño, seeded, finely diced

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

1 cup finely grated Manchego cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced chives

2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest

Preheat oven to 450°. Roast unhusked corn on a baking sheet, turning occasionally, until heated through and crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool. Shuck corn and cut kernels from cobs. Discard cobs.

Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add corn kernels and sauté until heated through and light-golden in spots, 3–5 minutes. Add butter; stir until melted.

Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer corn to a large wide bowl or deep platter; sprinkle jalapeño and crushed red pepper flakes over. Squeeze lime wedges over; sprinkle with cheese, chives, and lime zest.