It’s my favorite season of the year: FRESH SWEET CORN SEASON! I have always loved to make creamy, buttery polenta so combining that with fresh sweet creamed corn was a no-brainer and you GUYS, it turned out AMAZING. It is kinda like corn casserole but, dare I say, it may even be better.

For this dish I take fresh sweet corn cut off the cob, lightly steam it with green onion or chives, and then immersion blend it with some heavy cream to make creamed corn before stirring it into creamy polenta. It may sound somewhat complicated but I PROMISE it isn’t at all and you’ll be wanting to make this weekly with all of your summer dishes.

Recipe by: The Culinary Nest

MAKES

6-8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

for the creamed corn

8 ears of sweet corn, corn cut off the cob

3-4 green onions, green part only chopped (you can also use chives, rosemary, cilantro, etc.!)

1 cup water

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

for the polenta

1 cup corn polenta

2 cups milk

2 cups water

4 tablespoons butter

Salt as needed

METHOD

for the creamed corn

1. In a large bowl, cut all the fresh corn off of the cob.

2. In a medium sized pot over medium heat add the corn, 1 cup water, chopped green onion and salt. Cover with a tight fitting lid and bring to a light boil and allow to steam for about 5 minutes. Stir once or twice during the steaming process until the corn is bright yellow and tender but not mushy.

3. Turn off the heat, drain the corn in a colander and return the corn to the pot. Add the heavy cream and using an immersion blender, blend the corn until majority of the kernels are blended but there is still texture to the corn. (If you do not have an immersion blender, you can do this step in a food processor or blender by lightly pulsing a couple of times, make sure to not puree to keep some texture!) Set this aside until ready to add to the polenta.

for the polenta

1. In a medium pot, add the two cups of milk and water and bring to a boil. Slowly add the cup of dry corn polenta while stirring with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and allow the mixture to cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid is incorporated and the polenta is no longer crunchy.

2. Add the creamed corn mixture into the polenta and the butter. Stir until well blended and the butter is melted. Taste for seasoning and add salt as needed.

3. Spoon the creamed corn polenta into a bowl or as a side dish, top with additional green onion for garnish if desired and enjoy!

Other seasonings that would be great to add: black pepper, white pepper, cumin, cayenne or paprika.