I was super excited to see fresh sweet corn appear at the Farmers Market this week, sweet corn is certainly one of the highlights of summer. 

The Fourth of July Holiday is coming up and what are summer and the holiday than fresh corn on the cob!  Cooking corn on the cob is super simple; bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add corn and cook for 5 minutes. Slather up with butter and salt and pepper.  It is a perfect side dish! 

Corn is super versatile, give some of these recipes a try.  Hope you will enjoy!
 
Street Corn Soup
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups fresh corn kernel, about 8 ears
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest, plus 4 tablespoons limejuice, divided
½ cup crumbled cotija cheese
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh ground pepper
Sliced jalapeno for garnish
 
Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and light golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Add corn and ½ teaspoon salt and cook, stirring frequently, until corn is bright and crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer 1½ cups of the corn to a medium heatproof bowl; set aside.
 
Add broth, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and ¼ teaspoon salt to saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until corn is tender and flavors meld, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
 
Working in batches, if necessary, transfer the soup to a blender and carefully puree until smooth, about 30 seconds. Return soup to pot and stir in heavy cream and 3 tablespoons limejuice. Rewarm soup over medium, if necessary, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
 
Combine reserved corn mixture with lime zest, remaining 1 tablespoon limejuice, cotija, cilantro, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
 
Ladle soup into bowls and top with spoonful’s of corn mixture. Drizzle with sour cream and top with jalapeño.  Serves 4. 
 
Copycat Chipolte Corn Salsa
6 cups of fresh corn kernels, cooked and cooled
1 small red onion
1 small jalapeno, finely chopped
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
Salt
 
In a large bowl, toss corn, onion, jalapeño, cilantro, lemon juice, and limejuice to combine; season with salt.  Serve with chips, Serves 4.
 
Street Corn Queso Dip
8 ounces cream cheese
16 ounces queso Blanco
12 ounces Pico de Gallo or salsa
8 cups fresh corn kernels, cooked and cooled
½ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 ounces cotija cheese
1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
 
Preheat oven or grill to 450 degrees. 
 
In a large bowl, soften cream cheese 45 to 60 seconds in a microwave. 
 
In the same bowl, add queso, Pico de Gallo, corn and cilantro stirring gently to mix together. 
 
Pour into a cast iron or oven safe skillet or dish and top with crumbled cheese and pepper. 
 
Place pan in oven or on grill.  Cook about 35 minutes.  (If using a grill, about 20 minutes). 
 
Serve warm directly from skillet with fresh tortilla chips.  Serves 8. 
 
Farmers Market Pasta Salad
2 cups baby heirloom tomatoes, or other fresh tomatoes, halved
2 small zucchini, thinly sliced into half moons
1 small red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 cup fresh corn kernels
1 cup diced firm, ripe fresh peaches, about 2 medium
1 cup Parmesan Vinaigrette dressing
2, 8-ounce packages penne pasta
1/3 cup fresh roasted chicken, shredded, optional
1/3 cup torn fresh basil
1 cup torn fresh cilantro
Toss together first 7 ingredients in a large bowl and let stand 10 minutes.
 
Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions. Add hot cooked pasta and chicken to tomato mixture; toss gently to coat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a serving platter, and top with basil and cilantro.  Serves 8-10. 
 
Easy Creamed Corn
1 cup fresh corn kernel
1 ¼ cups fresh corn kernels
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
½ cup heavy cream
Process 1 cup fresh corn kernels in a blender or food processor 30 to 60 seconds or until smooth and creamy. Stir together pureed corn, 1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper in a large bowl.
 
Beat cream at high speed with an electric mixture until stiff peaks form. Fold into corn mixture. Let stand 15 minutes. Stir gently. Serve immediately, or let stand up to 2 hours.  Yields 2 ½ cups.
Fresh Corn Chowder
4 ears fresh corn
2, 32-ounce containers chicken stock
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
3 medium red potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup half and half
Salt and fresh ground pepper
Cut corn from cobs; reserve. Working over a bowl, scrape cobs with the back of a butter knife to remove milk and pulp; reserve. Combine cobs and stock in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer, 30 minutes. Discard cobs.
Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes; transfer to a paper-towel lined plate. Discard all but 1 tablespoon pan drippings. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute. 
Stir in reserved corn, corn milk and pulp, simmered stock, and potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer just until potatoes are tender, 14 to 16 minutes. Stir in half-and-half and reserved bacon. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with additional thyme.  Serves 6. 
Spicy Shrimp and Fried Corn
(Adapted form a Save Room for Dessert Blog Recipe)
For the Corn
5 ears of fresh corn
3 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
¾ cup milk, more or less as needed for desired consistency
1 tablespoon cornstarch
For the Spicy Shrimp
1 pound raw shrimp peeled and deveined (thawed)
2 teaspoons dry Sriracha seasoning or your favorite spicy blend such as Old Bay
½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
Reserved ½ cup corn kernels
½ cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley to serve
 
To make the fried creamed corn:
Cut the corn kernels from the cobs. Reserve the corncobs. Measure out ½ cup corn kernels and set aside. Add the remaining kernels to a food processor and pulse 6-7 times or until creamy. Using a dull knife, scrape the pulp and milk from the reserved corncobs and add to the creamed kernels.
 
Melt butter over medium heat in large skillet.  Add corn, corn pulp, salt, pepper and sugar. Sauté for 2-3 minutes then add the milk and cornstarch. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the corn is thick and creamy. Add more milk or cornstarch if needed for desired consistency. Remove the skillet from the heat and cover to keep warm.
 
For the shrimp:
In a small bowl, combine the Sriracha seasoning, and black pepper. Place the shrimp in a medium mixing bowl and toss with the spice mixture to coat.
 
Heat a large stainless steel skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter to the skillet.
 
Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook for 1-2 minutes, then turn.
 
Immediately add the tomatoes and reserved corn kernels. Cook, stirring occasionally until shrimp are done and the tomatoes begin to soften, about 2 minutes.
 
Remove from the heat and stir in the sliced green onions. Serve immediately spooned over bowls of fried corn. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired.  Serves 8.