Weekday Rambling: Corn Hacks & Cookbooks from the Library

Make your life easier and much more corny.

Aug 15, 2023

This newsletter is kind of like my journal. I try to keep it food-focused, but it devolves a bit. I ramble. I practice. I hope you enjoy.

Peak Summer hit Chicago. The markets are flooded with melons, Red Haven peaches, blueberries, and any summer vegetable you could want. And there's sweet corn. I eat it as much of it as possible. As I said on TV, summer sweet corn stands out as my most indelible food memory. So It's in everything I'm making these days.

Two Sweet Corn Tips:

1. Cutting Corn Off of the Cob

People have invented too many hacks for cutting sweet corn off the cob. It's not that hard. You don't need to precariously perch an ear of corn on a small bowl set inside a larger bowl. You don't need to set a cutting board inside a baking sheet to catch the corn that falls from on high. And you don't need to cut the corn with the cob laying on its side (it's both dangerous and wasteful that way).

Watch me do it.

Just cut the corn cob in half. Then stand the halved cob on a flat end and cut off the kernels. They don't go flying everywhere like when you try this with a whole cob. Cutting the cob in half can require some force, but you use the bash method, you'll be fine. Watch my video tutorial on how to do that. Like with any knife skills, keep your fingers out of the way. Before you bash and chop, put one hand on the knife handle, and the other on top of the knife--make sure all of your fingers are clearly out of the way.

Only about three kernels escaped my cutting board when I filmed this trick, and I was being sloppy.

If you need to cook the corn, you may as well cook it before chopping since that makes the cob easier to cut in half. Keep reading for a trick to make cooking corn a snap.

2. Cooking and Husking Corn

I saw this hack via one of my favorite writers/cooks/people, Julia Turshen. Instead of husking the corn then boiling it, which was my usual method of cooking, here's how to save some time and energy.

Watch me do it.

Put two ears of sweet corn, still in the husk, into the microwave. Microwave on full power for 6 minutes. Take the corn out of the micriwave and set it on a cutting board. Chop off the stem end and the first couple rows of kernels. Grip the top of the ear of corn just above where the ear starts, so you have ahold of the husk and most of the corn silk. If the cob is steaming hot, you may need to use a towel to grab the corn. Sort of squeeze the corn out like it’s toothpaste. If needed, with your other hand, a pair of tongs, or a fork, dig in and grab other side of the cob. You should be able to pull off the husk and all of the corn silk in one go. You may have to squeeze, wiggle, and pull a bit, but it will come off. And now you have a perfectly steamed ear of corn, ready to slather with butter and devour. Watch my video to see this in action. I've done it several times now, and it's perfect.

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I love my cookbook collection. I have read every book from cover to cover. I splatter my favorites with cake batter and jot down notes in the margins. If I could, I'd buy dozens of new cookbooks every year. And I know that I should support the authors and my local independent bookstores, but I just don't have the space to buy every single new cookbook that intrigues me. I live in a small Chicago bungalow, and I have more baking supplies than anyone really needs to own. My husband and I love books. We have a huge collection of novels, nonfiction, plays, and poetry that we can't part with. Plus my cookbook collection. Plus his comic book collection. We simply have too many books for our small space. (And Kindle cookbooks just don’t cut it for me.)

Enter the Library. The Chicago Public Library carries almost every cookbook imaginable. They do a great job of getting the newest books. I typically check out a couple of cookbooks each week and read them cover to cover. I'll place holds on new releases when they come out, so I can read them before deciding whether to buy them or not. Depending on what's going on in life, I might test out a few recipes. When a book really grabs me, then I'll by a copy of it to cook from, mark up, and get messy. Recently, I've done this with books like Meera Sodha's Fresh India and Alanna Taylor-Tobin's The Alternative Baker. Both are books I wasn't sure that I wanted to buy, but after reading them and cooking a few recipes, I knew that I needed my own copies

Here are a few recent library rentals:

Pulp, by Abra Berens - I thorougly enjoyed Grist and Ruffage. Abra Berens writes more than wonderful recipes, these are great reference and inspiration books for cooks, that cover grains, vegetables, and now fruit. As a native Michigander, Berens knows and loves her fruit. The book covers recipes sweet and savory, which reminded for me to use this glorious summer fruit in savory dishes more often. The greatest triumph of the book is her nuanced writing about Midwestern fruit, the local food economy, and how to handle certain fruit. Berens interviews farmers and experts to discuss the challenges of growing fruit in Michigan, commodity vs. fresh fruit sales, and the complicated future of farming in the Great Lakes state. She goes into detail on each type of fruit, how to treat it, how to preserve it, and if it's even worth preserving at home. Berens' skill, in my mind, is how she pairs and assembles dishes. Her book effortlessly puts elements together to create dishes highlighting fruit that seem effortless and inspired. The instructions can be a bit over-simplified for my taste, so this might not be the best book for someone who is just getting started—especially with baking. And yes, I did find a few minor errors (or maybe over simplifications) in the book. But don't let that dissuade you from reading Pulp. Berens shows incredible creativity and artistry of flavor, texture, while highlighting the best Michigan fruit. For fruit-fanatics like me, It's a dream read that taught me so much. I can't wait to cook from it more.

I’m also reading these two excellent cookbooks:

More Than Cake, by Natasha Pickowicz
Giuseppe's Italian Bakes, by Giuseppe Dell'Anno

What else is happening in my world?

I've been eating all of the fruit from the farmers market: apricots, TangO 1 donut peaches, Red Haven peaches, nectarines, early gold and methley plums, blueberries, cantaloupe, sugar baby watermelon, blackberries, and probably other things. I also eat veggies.
I baked some sweet corn shortbread cookies and some sweet corn ice cream with a peach swirl and shortbread cookie bits.
I've been hopping out to my herb garden to grab a few lemon verbena and peppermint leaves for my evening tea, and I am hooked. It's both tasty and calming.
Speaking of herbs, I've added chopped verbena and/or spearmint to my morning fruit and yogurt. Two verbena leaves, finely chopped, in a bowl of yogurt with peaches or blueberries tastes transformative without getting soapy.
Jason and I went out to the Seattle area for a long weekend. We spent most of our time in nature: hiking, looking at waterfalls, exploring locations featured in Twin Peaks, and, of course seeing Tori Amos. We ventured into Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood for one afternoon and hit up the farmers' market and had some really great vegan ice cream.
Sarah came back from Michigan with peaches, nectarines, sweet corn, and 10 pounds of blueberries. We spent about six hours in her gorgeous kitchen making stuff out of this bounty. We concocted jams, salsa, cobbler, and more. Heaven.
I just watched The Julia Child Challenge. I know I'm late to the game, but the show warmed my heart. The lovely contestants, the parade of judges, the interesting challenges, andthe clips of Julia Child made for lovely TV.
It looks like the next season of the Great American Baking Show is filming. Good luck to all of the bakers. I hope you’re having fun!