Sunday, June 1, 2014

Fresh Corn Queso Fundido

I blame it on my upbringing in Illinois, otherwise known as the land of corn, but I get excited when fresh, sweet corn comes into season. I was delighted when our first corn of the year from our CSA appeared a couple of weeks ago. Oddly enough, the recipe I couldn’t wait to use it in was actually intended for frozen corn. It was Corn Queso Fundido from the December issue of Food and Wine, and the purpose of the dish was to use some produce that had been frozen at the peak of the season. I took a different approach, but the result would be great either way. Not only did I have the first-of-season corn, I also had the first locally-grown chiles from Springdale Farm that I’d spotted this year. This is a fun queso for dipping chips, but I made more of a meal of it by dipping grilled zucchini and chunks of grilled chicken as well. The queso can be cooked entirely on top of the stove as instructed in the recipe, or you can go for some browning on the cheese as I did by popping it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Local fresh corn and chiles are a great start to our summer produce. 

I started by cutting the kernels from a couple of ears of corn. Half of the corn was pureed in the blender with some water. The recipe suggests straining the puree, but I didn’t. Meanwhile, I roasted a poblano and some jalapeno chiles. When cool, the charred skin was removed, and the chiles were stemmed, seeded, and chopped. The chopped chiles were cooked with minced onion in a skillet, and the remaining corn was added. It’s important to cook the vegetables until slightly browned and any water has evaporated. Next, minced garlic was added and cooked for a couple of minutes. The corn puree was then added and allowed to reduce for a few minutes. Shredded Monterey Jack cheese was stirred into the vegetable mix until melted. At this point, I transferred the queso to a baking dish and placed it under the broiler until browned. I garnished with sliced jalapenos and chopped cilantro and served it with baked tortilla chips. I’ve developed the habit of cutting corn tortillas into long, skinny wedges for baking after learning the technique in a Rick Bayless book. The tortilla pieces were brushed with grape seed oil and seasoned with salt, ancho powder, and cayenne. 

Now that I’ve looked back at this recipe from December, I should take a lesson from it and freeze some of our lovely, fresh corn right now. It always disappears so quickly when we have it, I usually don’t even have a chance to think about preserving some for later in the year. Whether you cut it from fresh ears or pull it from the freezer, you have to try this spicy queso with corn. 


21 comments:

  1. I'm also a corn freak and mostly use it in quiches and soups. I never thought about freezing them for later -what a great idea!

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  2. I love fresh sweet corn, also!! I don't blame you for getting excited about it :) This looks to DIE for!

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  3. A fabulous dip! Fresh corn is so tasty.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  4. Love love fresh corn! The dip looks mouthwatering,Lisa.

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  5. What a gorgeous dip. I love the combination of cheese and corn. I also am a big fan of corn; I find it so versatile xx

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  6. This looks yummy! I actually just realised that I have corn very rarely and I became so jealous.. :)

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  7. Yeah, corn is my friend too. This is such a terrific looking dip -- filled with flavors that I love. Good stuff -- thanks.

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  8. Okay Lisa. I've been looking a food photos all morning, and I've seen a lot of deliciousness, but this one - your fundito - has got me starving!
    I've haven't seen any decent corn at our market yet, but I know it's coming.
    xoxo
    E

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  9. corn is absolutely my favorite thing right now and i think this sounds marvelous. MUST FREEZE CORN! :)

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  10. I too love corn...but never thought in making a dip with it...looks delicious Lisa.
    Enjoy the rest of your week :D

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  11. Sweet, fresh corn is one of the finest gifts of the season.
    Love this way to prepare it, looks fantastic.

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  12. Oh this looks super delicious! So full of seasonal goodies!

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  13. whats not adorable in fresh ears of corn....we get all excited when corn is in season too...and their season is coming soon...this is gonna be the first recipe we try out....it looks so scrumptious,a winner...thanks :-)

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  14. I love fresh corn and didn't grow up near where it was corn but you would think that I did because of how much I love it. What a great looking dish! :D

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  16. Oh boy does your queso sound good. There is a saying here in New England about corn…knee high by the 4th of July. We always look forward to the first fresh corn from the farm stand but that usually isn't until sometime in August. I may have to use the frozen corn suggested in the magazine.

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    Replies
    1. Karen: Knee high by the 4th of July is a saying in Illinois too! The season is much earlier here in Texas.

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  17. Lisa this look amazing I love all this cheese!!

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  18. Oh Lisa you get 5 stars on your chart for using real corn off the cob.
    Nicely done here!

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  19. This looks awesome Lisa! Fresh corn is very cheap here at the moment. I am enjoying it every second night just in the oven and slopped with olive oil and salt!

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  20. Pinned! Have to try this one Lisa. Thanks for the recipe.

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