Fresh from the farm
One of my favorite summer treats is fresh corn on the cob, and right now it is making a regular appearance at my local farmer’s markets. Over the years, I’ve tried several different ways to preserve that fresh taste of summer for the winter months. Typically, that means blanching the ears of corn and stripping the kernels from the cob, then freezing for later use. It’s pretty good, but a lot of work, and I’m not 100% sure it still tastes like summer when I cook it later. So, this year, I decided to try something different – sous vide.
I have a sous vide wand at home that I’ve done this with, but here at our Hyannis location, I’m able to use the Signature Kitchen Suite Pro Range with built-in sous vide. I initially tried this as a way to infuse the butter into the corn rather than struggling with the mess of buttering the corn after it’s cooked. But once I tried it, I decided it would be the perfect way to freeze corn to eat later. All you need is a couple of ears of corn, 2-4 tablespoons of butter, and whatever seasonings you’d like. I kept it simple and just went with salted butter, opting to season my corn after it was cooked. Ready? Let’s get started...
For 2 ears of corn:
What you’ll need:
- 2 ears fresh corn on the cob, shucked
- 2-4 tablespoons butter
- salt & pepper (optional)
- 1 gallon food saver or other vacuum seal bag and vacuum sealer (A heavy duty zipper food storage bag, reusable silicone is fine as long as it can withstand the high temperature you’re going to be cooking at.)
- Sous vide wand and water container
Instructions:
If cooking right away, preheat your sous vide bath to 182°F.
Rinse and dry the corn, being careful to remove as much silk as possible. Place the 2 ears of corn in the bag and add butter. I prefer 2 tablespoons, but feel free to add more if you like your corn more on the buttery side. It will be juicy as well, so try not to add too much butter. Remove as much air as possible and seal the bag so that no water can get in. Your vacuum sealer can do this for you, but you will need to squeeze out the air if you’re using a zipper bag. If you’re saving for later, put your bagged corn and butter in the freezer until you’re ready to use it. (Maybe during a snowstorm in February, when you’re wishing for summer?). When you’re ready to cook it, preheat your sous vide bath as above, and follow along with the rest of the directions (no need to thaw the corn). Once the sous vide water bath is preheated, add in your bag of corn and set your timer for 30 minutes. When I cook the corn from frozen with my sous vide wand, the temperature drops quite a bit from the frozen corn, so it will need a little time to recover. You don’t need to add extra time, 30 minutes is still plenty of time. Once your time is up, remove the corn from the water bath, cut open the bag and serve. Because the corn is cooked in the vacuum sealed bag, the juices stay with the corn, and it tastes as fresh as just picked. Want to spice up your corn a little?
- Add smoked paprika and some fresh squeezed lime juice, the top with crumbled cotija cheese when it’s done for Mexican Street Corn
- Add a sprig or two of any fresh herb for a little extra seasoning (rosemary or cilantro go really well with fresh corn)
Give it a try this week, and save a few ears for that winter storm. You’ll be glad you did. 😊