Amish Corn on the Cob

Submitted by The_Swedish_Chef

"One of my dear friends, Pam, comes from an Amish background and each Summer we head to Millersburg, Ohio to visit her relatives. One visit was during the first Sweet Corn harvest and this dish was served at their table. Initially, I was sceptical about it, having never had my corn served this way...that is, until I ate it and then I couldn't get enough! That was 30+ years ago, and each Summer I wait with the greatest of anticipation for the first Sweet Corn to become available so I can have this simple feast. It's hard for me to have corn any other way now, as it always seems that "something is missing." Note: The servings for an individual are two ears of corn per person. Just increase the recipe, per person, for your serving needs."

 

• Ready In: 12mins
• Ingredients: 5
• Serves: 1

ingredients

• 2 ears corn (shucked and cleaned..leave the end ON the corn, so you can have something to hang onto!!!)
• 1⁄2 cup swiss cheese, diced the size of corn kernels and room-temperature (They used Amish Swiss cheese but any very premium Swiss Cheese will work.)
• 2 teaspoons butter, very soft
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 1 pinch salt (optional, they never salted their corn as they thought it took away from the flavour of the Swiss ch)

directions

1. NOTE: This is NOT a "tidy" dish to make, so create it in an area that corn kernels can safely "fly away" and not mess up anything. When the Amish make it, they have every item to be added, at the ready, so when the corn is cut from the cob in the deep bowl, the rest of the ingredients are dumped in, stirred and served within one minute of processing. The corn needs to be served HOT so the butter melts and the cheese becomes soft.
2. Determine pot size to boil corn in, based on volume of corn cobs. I use a 6 quart Dutch oven to boil 4 ears in, a large canning kettle to boil up to 12 ears.
3. Heat the water in your kettle to boiling. I do NOT salt my water for this, as I want the corn to be as sweet as possible and also, the Amish I learned it from do not salt their water for this recipe, either.
4. While the water is coming to a boil, shuck your corn but leave on at least 2" of the stalk end, so you have a handle to grab when you are cutting the corn kernels off off of the cob. The Amish use a pot holder or kitchen towel to hold the hot corn but I use a handful of sturdy paper towels to save my hand from the heat.
5. Dice the Swiss cheese into the same size as the corn kernels. Place the diced cheese, the soft butter and the dash of cayenne pepper into a small serving bowl. Set aside; this will be added to the corn bowl immediately after shucking.
6. Before placing corn cobs into the water, have the following items ready: a pair of tongs to remove the corn cobs; a pot holder/paper towels to hold the hot corn; a kitchen towel or paper towels to blot the water off of the corn cob and keep them warm; a super sharp knife to cut off the kernels, and a WIDE and DEEP heat-proof bowl to cut the corn kernels into. This deep bowl is where the cut corn and Swiss cheese will be mixed and served.
7. When the water has reached boiling, add corn cobs. Heat for ONLY 1-2 minutes, only until corn is almost just blanched. The kernels should be crisp and *pop* in your mouth when eaten.
8. With the tongs, remove the hot corn cobs and place onto the kitchen towel, to blot the water and stay covered, to keep in their heat while processing each ear of corn.
9. Using the pot holder or paper towels, grab the handle of the corn and using the sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob into the deep bowl, starting at the top and working down. The faster you work, the hotter the corn kernels will be. It's okay if they come off as "strips" of corn; they will break up when you stir them with the other ingredients.
10. After the corn has been cut from the cooked ears, immediately add the diced Swiss cheese, butter and cayenne pepper to the hot corn kernels and stir until the butter is melted, about 30 seconds. The cheese should still be in chunks, not melted. Taste to see if a wee dash of more cayenne should be added.
11. Serve immediately. Since this dish is to be served very hot, what the Amish do is make multiple batches if more is desired. So, they'll make the 1st batch, eat it and enjoy it, make another batch, eat and enjoy that one, equally. As with many agricultural families, when a first crop comes in of anything: corn, tomatoes, potatoes, the farm family will make their first meal nothing but the featured food. So, with the first harvest of corn, the Amish make this corn dish the entire meal, nothing else is served except a dessert. This is also the way that I grew up, so I found nothing odd about this celebration of the first season's harvest.

Reviews

[Squirrel_whisperer]

Great for a simple supper or snack when you're craving cheese but know you have to eat something else healthier with it! I tried this twice, once with frozen corn and the next time with frozen corn on the cob that was shelled. Very simple to make and enjoyably filling; can't wait until July when there's fresh corn to be picked and used. Thanks, The Swedish Chef!