Sweet Corn Custard, Toasted Pumpernickel Bread Crumbs, Sliced Red Horn Peppers, Purslane, Nasturtium Leaves and Petals, Raw Milk Creme Fraiche, Piment d'Espelette
So it's probably pretty obvious by now that I am a bit obsessed with sweet corn as it is popping up in most of the dishes I'm making. Corn is one of those foods that I will only eat when it is in season and I can get it from a local source. I guess that's the case for a lot of the foods I eat. But seeing as corn has a longer growing window than most other produce it's been making more of an appearance. And hopefully I've been hitting my goal of mixing it up enough with preparation and presentation that you aren't getting bored with it quite yet. Cause I know that I'm not.
I wanted to make a savory chilled corn custard that tasted as much like corn as I could possibly get it to taste. Which meant that I needed to use the fewest ingredients as possible. So I utilized a little chemical cookery to avoid making the custard with eggs which I thought would compete with the corn too much. I shaved all of the kernels off of of the cobs and blended them with some raw cow's milk. I strained all of the liquid off and poured it into a sauce pan over medium heat that included some onion and garlic that were cooked off. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, brought it up to a simmer and whisked it until it thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. I strained the liquid yet again and allowed it to cool slightly.
This is where the chemical component came into play. I added some xantham gum and blended the liquid til it thickened to the desired custard consistency. The gum allowed me to achieve the thick smooth texture I wanted without adding any type of flavor to it. I placed the custard in a container and allowed it to chill through for a few hours in the refrigerator.
I spooned the chilled custard into a wide rimmed bowl, making a little divot in the center. I placed some homemade raw milk creme fraiche in the hole and sprinkled it with Espellete powder.
I built the salad around the custard starting with the bread crumbs that were made by tearing apart the pumpernickel and cooking it in melted butter until toasted. I added the sliced peppers, purslane and nasturtium to finish it off.
Product:
Sweet Corn - Buzby Farms
Pumpernickel Bread - Wild Flour Bakery
Grass-fed Raw Milk - Hillacres Pride
Organic Red Horn Peppers - Culton Organics
Organic Purslane - Queen's Farm
Organic Nasturtium - My Garden
I wanted to make a savory chilled corn custard that tasted as much like corn as I could possibly get it to taste. Which meant that I needed to use the fewest ingredients as possible. So I utilized a little chemical cookery to avoid making the custard with eggs which I thought would compete with the corn too much. I shaved all of the kernels off of of the cobs and blended them with some raw cow's milk. I strained all of the liquid off and poured it into a sauce pan over medium heat that included some onion and garlic that were cooked off. I seasoned it with salt and pepper, brought it up to a simmer and whisked it until it thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. I strained the liquid yet again and allowed it to cool slightly.
This is where the chemical component came into play. I added some xantham gum and blended the liquid til it thickened to the desired custard consistency. The gum allowed me to achieve the thick smooth texture I wanted without adding any type of flavor to it. I placed the custard in a container and allowed it to chill through for a few hours in the refrigerator.
I spooned the chilled custard into a wide rimmed bowl, making a little divot in the center. I placed some homemade raw milk creme fraiche in the hole and sprinkled it with Espellete powder.
I built the salad around the custard starting with the bread crumbs that were made by tearing apart the pumpernickel and cooking it in melted butter until toasted. I added the sliced peppers, purslane and nasturtium to finish it off.
Product:
Sweet Corn - Buzby Farms
Pumpernickel Bread - Wild Flour Bakery
Grass-fed Raw Milk - Hillacres Pride
Organic Red Horn Peppers - Culton Organics
Organic Purslane - Queen's Farm
Organic Nasturtium - My Garden