Julia Moskin's Caramelized Corn with Fresh Mint

I have started and stopped this entry about six times. Trying to find some lyrical way to get going. But you know what? Though lyrical can be all fine and good, sometimes, when you are simply itching to get something out just as loud and fast as you can, lyrical can be a real impediment to communication, a real thorn in the side of straight talk.

What on earth am I trying to say, you wonder?

What I'm trying to say is this:

OMG put down what you're doing this very instant NOW and get yourself to the store to buy a packet of frozen corn and a few sprigs of fresh mint and then get yourself home FAST FAST FAST cancel plans if you must I don't care for Pete's sake and get to work on this recipe which will take you all of ten minutes "active time" to make and will be the most wonderful ten-minute, four-ingredient recipe you've made all YEAR for crying out loud, maybe EVER, and though I used to think corn was something to be enjoyed solely in the few fleeting summer months each year when corn is found in green markets and on cobs, I shall now be very happily revising my list of acceptable frozen foods to be two in length (peas being number one) and cannot WAIT WAIT WAIT to make this dish over and over and over again and add it to the hall of fame, the list for lamination, it is that good oh yes it is YES IT IS GO!

Julia Moskin included the recipe in her Thanksgiving side dish story, but frankly, this is the kind of thing I will be making as part of a simply, easy, weeknight meal for eternity, or as long as I am ambulant and master of my own kitchen. Julia says this only works with frozen petite white corn, but my Key Foods had nothing but plain old yellow corn, which was - once thawed, then sautéed in unsalted butter until popping and caramelized and toasty and aromatic - still as delicious as could be. The chopped mint and the good hit of salt are essential, by the way. Obviously.

I rubbed two chicken legs with salt and red pepper flakes and sweet paprika and za'atar and mashed, minced garlic and olive oil, let them sit for a bit in a dish, then roasted them at high heat, meaning 500 smacking degrees Fahrenheit, for about half an hour. Juicy, crispy-skinned, and delicious, they were a nice thing to serve with that corn.

But that corn. That corn! It was the star, the bright and shining thing on my plate that actually made me smile as I ate, because it has been far too long since something as wonderful, as cheap and quick and as special as this unassuming little side dish came along, and in one fell swoop that corn made me fall in love - in love! with frozen corn! - and that, my friends, is all I have been trying to say.

Caramelized Corn with Fresh Mint
Serves 2

1 10-ounce package frozen premium corn
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
Salt

1. Defrost the corn in a colander, tossing occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

2. In a wide skillet, melt the butter over high heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring often, until golden and browned (kernels may begin to pop), about 10 minutes. Stir in the mint and sprinkle with salt. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve while hot.

Comments

[Sarah Y]

gonna try it. bet I'll love it. bet I'll make it again and again.

[Sara]

you're awfully convincing!

[nithya at hungrydesi]

this sounds really flavorful and so easy...i've posted a few corn recipes recently - good to hear that frozen corn is so good. And I definitely understand that feeling of being ready to burst when you discover something that's so simple and yet so delicious.

[Jill Anderson]

Woo hoo. This sounds delicious!! I think that I'll make it tomorrow night as we've just eaten our dinner tonight.

Thank you.

[ronnissweettooth]

You win. This will be lunch tomorrow.

[maggie]

Hurrah! I need to be told that there's something I can make in ten minutes, something besides an egg. Awesome.

[abbyglassenberg]

i make that za'atar chicken all the time! it's awesome with lemon zest and juice in the marinade, too!

[Adrienne]

Your enthusiasm had me laughing out loud. This is a WONDERFUL post... and I'm going to go get corn RIGHT NOW RIGHT RIGHT NOW :)

[maija]

Sold! It sounds so impossibly easy and simple, and I am in full agreement with you on frozen peas being the most acceptable frozen veggie.

[Julia]

Holy crap! I'm running. NOW!

[amy chaplin]

I had the same response to that dish in the times... " corn is for summer" but your enthusiam has convinced me to try it. Always enjoy reading your thoughts and food adventures. Look forward to your posts weekly.
Thank you!

[Mama JJ]

Honey, I love love LOVE that tirade. Way better than lyrical, if you ask me. Which you didn't. But I'll still tell you. Because I REALLY liked it.

Now, I'll have to see if I like the corn as much as you do. I have a hunch I will.

[Erika from The Pastry Chef At Home]

Yes, corn does indeed become magical with just a little bit of work. I love your enthusiasm in this post - so infectious! It is nearly 11 pm and i've already eaten but I am tempted to run to the 24 hr supermarket to get some corn!

[D. @ Outside Oslo]

Corn & mint: What a beautiful reminder of summer!

[KT]

I could make it right this minute with cilantro instead of mint... will have to try it soon. I'm very curious!

[Tita Buds]

Convincing is the word, yes.

This is why I have started sneaking in a little Wednesday Chef reading at work (halfway across the world) when everything gets a bit too much. Lyrical or not, the prose is always beautiful.

[meleyna]

I make something like this all the time, though it is a bit more effort (and includes bacon, which I don't think you eat anymore?). You baste the corn with maple syrup before roasting it until blackened in spots, then toss the kernals with caramelized onions and bacon bits, and for a lovely fall touch, fresh sage. But I'm not going to lie, I've done it with frozen corn more than once, and without the bacon even more often. Really, just the sweet onions and corn and syrup, and that herby punch from the sage is what you need.

http://makingitwithmeleyna.com/bacon-makes-it-better/

[J2Kfm]

yeah, i can feel your pain. :)
there were times when I was trying so desperately to wax lyrical about some delicious grubs, only to falter miserably and ended up sounding awkward.

but you've got me sold. a side dish that stole the limelight from the main?!!

[TheKitchenWitch]

I love the enthusiasm! Your post made me think: so THAT's what those excitable little purse-dogs would sound like if they could talk! And then I started laughing and couldn't stop.

This recipe is so easy that even I'm capable of it--and I'll try it, for sure.

[noelle {simmer down!}]

Oh yay, I was JUST thinking to myself yesterday that I wanted to use some more of the mint in my backyard before I lose it to the cold weather. This sounds perfect!

I have another frozen veg to add to the "ok" list: brussels sprouts. I became convinced after Matthew Amster-Burton of Roots & Grubs talked about it in his book "Hungry Monkey". :) Of course I'd rather have fresh, but I also think that a frozen veg is better than no veg at all, and I like being able to just have them around whenever for last-minute side dishes.

[radish]

funny, i had emailed this recipe to a friend of mine who's coming over for Thanksgiving and her MUST dish on the table is corn - and since my oven/stove will have lots of other things gurgling on it, I suggested she might make this one. I'm thrilled to hear it's as amazing as it sounds! That makes me so happy!!

[ann]

Like everyone else, I saw that email and was like "I wonder if it's as good as I mentally think it is?" Glad to know it is!! I have some beautiful corn that I froze this summer languishing in the fridge, maybe I'll volunteer to bring it over to my mom's house for Thanksgiving. Thanks Luisa!

[Jennifer]

I adore your contagious delight. And, as everything else I prepare for Thanksgiving takes hours, I'm happy to add this swift recipe to the list.

[small kitch cara]

Yes! I made this caramelized corn over the summer with the freshest corn and I couldn't believe how the slow cooking (slow for corn, I mean) gave the veggie an entirely new, entirely sweet flavor. I love your/Julia's addition of mint.

[Caitlin]

I'm excited to have another acceptable frozen veggie around - I too usually only down down that aisle for peas. Can't wait to try this ... have been missing corn already!

[Lys]

I lost my potted mint plant to the cold last week but my basil, rosemary, thyme and of course that greek oregano survived. Looks like this recipe can be switched up with one of those... or maybe cilantro - cilantro really rocks with corn. My father spent 20 years trying to the kill the Mint growing freely through this garden...so it just feels wrong to actually buy it.

[brooke]

i can't wait to make this - corn has become my i'm-home-alone-comfort-food. on the other hand, i've always been anti-mint, but over the past few months, i've been warming to the herb. maybe this dish will give me the push i need to fully embrace it.

[Judy]

The simplest things are always the best!
I love the rub salted butter and some italian herbs right on the cob and roast it for all of 10 seconds. Never tried mint before, but it sounds like it'll make the recipe pop!

[Caits]

Oh my GOODNESS was that amazing. Just cooked and inhaled this recipe. The mint was a great flavor counterpoint to the salt and corn, and nothing bad can start with melting butter in a saute pan. Thank you for pointing out and adapting this recipe!

[Andrea]

I'm convinced, I promise! Making it, asap! And a secret confession: when it's deep, dark winter and there's nary a green squeak from my garden, I'm not ashamed to admit that I will resort to frozen corn in abundance. In chili, sauted with black beans, dumped into some wintertime corn chowder, I will succumb to the fantasy that it is not 15 degrees out and that corn is abundant and fresh. This sunny yellow sweetness, without question, helps me get through the dark. Peas, well, peas I might need some convincing on.

[Lea Ann]

This looks fabulous. I'm lucky to have some fresh Colorado sweet corn in the freezer. Can't wait to try this.

[tara]

I have not had frozen corn in years. It's on the grocery list.

[Kimberly Mayone]

Don't you just love it when you find a gem? I've put corn and mint together in a salad but not on the stove top. I am going to work this recipe into the queue.

[Mary]

I did it. Just what you said. Corn and chicken for dinner. All by myself, plus some steamed broccollini and two beers (one while I was cooking, one while I was eating). And I was floored. Why is everything you say is going to be amazing...so amazing? P.S. In regards to your post about missing New York. I understand 100 percent. I used to live in Austin. And when I think back on it...the things I feel nostalgic about are completely ridiculous. I miss walking to school, through my alley with the dumpsters, under the bridge by the newspaper stands, the bustle of obnoxious sorority girls, the mulberry tree that the birds always get to before I do. These are the things that make a city YOURS. Thanks for a wonderful site and good luck moving back HOME!

[Vicki]

I saw this article this morning and am dying to try the Two-Way Chanterelle and Pear Bread Stuffing -- did you make it as well? Corn sounds wonderful -- must try it!

[Hungry Girl]

I had just posed the question, on my blog - what do you eat when you're in the weeds? This one would work.

[charlotte s]

sounds awesome! and this post is just gorgeous!

[Molly]

Ditto that! Gourmet ran a similar recipe last July -- but, get this, with feta sprinkled on top -- that we tried and devoured this summer and promptly labeled DIVINE. The frozen bit? Genius. Will be serving this at Thanksgiving for sure. Thx for the reminder. -Molly

[Margaret McCabe]

I watched your segment on the Today Show this morning and am looking forward to making this corn recipe. Also, the sweet potatoes. Thank you

[Luisa]

Margaret - You saw Julia Moskin, not me! ;)

[Dawn in CA]

If I could hug you, I would. You make me smile, and for that I thank you. Virtual hugs: OOXOO with a little virtual kiss thrown in.

[The Food Hunter]

This is perfect. I've been looking for something different to do with corn on Thanksgiving.

[Anna@BakingSimplicity]

Thanks for this, I was getting bored of preparing frozen corn the same old way.
By the way, how's the packing progressing?

[Luisa]

Anna - so far, I'm still getting rid of stuff. But I won't be doing much since the upside of paying an arm and a leg for international shipping is that they pack your stuff for you. ;)

[valentina]

If it werent'so later over here I would have rushed to the supermarket. you are so persuasive....i love corn.I have never bought frozen corn before.

[RosieReader]

Yep. I tried this earlier this week too and was completely blown away. Glad to hear I don't have to fret about what kind of corn to buy, either.

[Cheesipedia]

Hmm, one for my bookmarks, methinks. Easy, fast, simple. All my favourite cooking methods in one!

[the lacquer spoon]

Sweetcorn with the herbal hit… yum! This is going to be my savory dish tomorrow. Regards from Tokyo :)

[Sally]

I would agree with Julia -- it doesn't work with frozen yellow corn. I made it -- and I'll try it again, but with either the white corn or fresh corn. With the yellow corn it was just this side of inedible.

[Kelly]

Luisa,
I was awarded a "Thank You for Blogging Award" from a fellow blogger in recognition of blogs that inspire her. One of the stipulations of the award is that, being a recipient myself, I must now pass the award on to blogs that inspire me. I thought you should know I awarded you the "Thank You for Blogging Award" because I look forward to your posts week after week after week. Congrats!