Cream Corn

You don’t have to go to a steak house to have cream corn  anymore.  Plus, you can use this side dish for just about everything.  This is not a super healthy dish but I believe if you are going to make cream corn, then make cream corn.  No one calls it half and half corn or whatever watered down version people try to whip up.  You don’t have to make this often but when you do, make it memorable and real.

• 3 strips of thickly cut bacon, chopped into 1/4 inch squares
• 8 ears of corn, kernels removed
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded and stem removed, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 cup of heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 2-3 dashes of Sriracha 

Making It

• Put the cream and the milk in a heatproof bowl and heat in a microwave for 1 minute, set aside
• Place a small cast-iron dutch oven over a medium flame, drizzle a little extra virgin oil and cook the bacon for 7 minutes, add the jalapeño, onion and red pepper and sauté for 6 more minutes
• At the same time, take a sauté pan and put over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour, let cook for 2 minutes then whisk in the warmed cream/milk mix and let heat 
• Pour into the dutch oven with the vegetables and bacon, then stir in the corn and head over medium-high flame, stirring with a wooden spoon for 6 – 7 minutes, the cream/milk should reduce and stick to the back of the spoon
• Take off the flame, add the chives, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and if you want to fire it up some more then add a few dashes of Sriracha