… ear today

Labor Day is upon us and that means that corn season is almost over. I am a huge fan of the Yankee Street Market’s corn cart that’s parked on Stroop Road in Dayton, Ohio. Every day they sell freshly picked sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, zucchinis, and a variety of melons. It’s so convenient that I swing by almost every day.

I almost cried when they said the season would be over in a week or two. I took my daily ears and said that I would see them tomorrow. Now nothing beats corn on the cob. My husband boils up a big pot of water, drops in the shucked ears, and simmers them for approximately 3 minutes. He then takes a big whiff over the steaming water. He claims he can smell when the corn is done (jury’s out on that one- but he did grow up on a farm).  A light spin on a stick of butter and few grinds of fresh pepper and you are in heaven.

With those ears almost gone I was trying to figure out how to make the season last a little longer. I’ve been playing around with corn cake recipes and I believe I’ve finally hit pay dirt. Not only are these griddle cakes amazing right out of the pan, but here’s a mini version to make and freeze now then reheat for a show-stopping hors d'oeuvre later.

Here are my corn cakes.

Cut the corn off of two ears of corn to equal one cup. I usually simmer my corn for one minute, then cool and cut to remove a bit of the starchiness.

Be sure to use stone-ground yellow cornmeal. It is a courser grind and gives the cakes a heavenly texture.

In a bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking soda, pepper, and sugar.

In another bowl whisk together the two tablespoons of melted and cooled butter, the egg and buttermilk.

Stir in the chopped corn.

Then the finely chopped onion, red pepper, jalapeño chili and grated Pepper Jack cheese.

Stir the cornmeal mixture until the batter is just combined.

Heat a griddle or frying pan over moderately high heat until hot; brush it lightly with butter. Working in batches drop the batter by a 1/4-cup measure onto the griddle. Spread the batter slightly to form 3 1/2- to 4-inch cakes, cook the cakes for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden. Transfer them as they are cooked to a heatproof platter, and keep them warm.

To make mini corncakes drop heaping teaspoonfuls of batter onto the hot buttered griddle and cook the cakes until golden, about two minutes per side.

Cool the cakes completely on a rack.

Place on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, cover with plastic wrap then foil and place in the freezer.

Once completely frozen transfer the mini corn cakes to Ziploc bags and store in the freezer.

These are amazing topped with a little honey butter. Combine ¼ cup whipped butter with 1 tablespoon honey.

Stir vigorously until thoroughly combined.

Right before serving preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the frozen corn cakes on a baking sheet. Bake until heated through about 6-10 minutes. Remove from the oven top with a little honey butter and serve immediately.

I bet you’ll find each bite will melt in your mouth just like a warm summer memory.