Summer is gone. Autumn is here. It's a good time to start all over again, in a sort of back to school sort of way.
The UNFATTENING fell by the wayside this summer. There were trips and fun food and festivals. Then came the stress and crazy days at work. Time flew by without weigh-ins, let alone keeping track of what I ate each day.
But we must keep going. Mustn't mull over the past. Learn from it and move on.
However, the one thing that I will miss from this summer was the ridiculously fresh corn I'd get from Kerry's farm. Kerry and family would get up at 5am to pick corn and sell it that day. Some days they'd have so much, I'd end up buying dozens. That evening I'd boil and shuck and freeze for later use.
The muffins were good, but my absolute favorite preparation was what Ottolenghi calls fresh corn polenta, otherwise known to the less sophisticated as creamed corn. And if you really want to get right to it, it's a way to shovel as much of those sweet kernels into your face hole as efficiently as possible.
Fresh corn polenta with king oyster mushrooms
Extreme closeup of utter deliciousness
You really do have to use fresh corn off the cob for this, because you really need every drop of that milky corn goodness you get when you run the back of the knife against the cob after cutting the kernels off. I'd also prepare this with regular dried polenta and enjoy it a great deal, especially since wild mushrooms are great in the fall, but it's a completely different animal.
I'm actually really sad that I won't have this again until next summer. If I hadn't used up all my frozen corn already, I would have been able to enjoy the taste of a summer memory in the crisp autumn air. I'll have to plan better next year. You live, you learn.
Fresh corn polenta with king oyster mushrooms
6 cups freshly shucked corn (or some that you've boiled, shucked, and frozen)
4 oz cream cheese
salt
pepper
1tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp fresh thyme (optional)
1/2 Tbs sugar (optional)
1 package of king oyster mushrooms
salt
pepper
sherry or stock
For the corn:
1) Place the corn in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about ten minutes. If using already cooked, frozen corn, just heat the corn in the pot with a little liquid so the bottom doesn't burn.
2) Take the pot off the heat. With a stick blender, process until most of the kernels have turned to mush, but not all because texture is nice.
3) Add the cream cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water or stock. Stir in the thyme. If the corn is kind of bland (perhaps it was sitting on your counter for a while before you cooked it), add the sugar.
For the mushrooms:
1) Wash the mushrooms well just before use.
2) Slice the mushrooms into 1/8 inch rounds.
3) Place slices into a pan of 1Tbs of olive oil on medium high heat. Toss the slices in the olive oil , salt and pepper, then arrange into a single layer.
4) Sear the mushrooms until golden brown. Flip each mushroom over and sear the other side. Yes, it's fiddly and yes you need tongs, but it's worth it to do it right. Nobody likes slimy mushrooms. You may have to do this in batches if you don't have the biggest pan in the world. Just set the cooked ones on a plate while you finish the rest.
5) Place all of your mushrooms back in the pan. Deglaze the pan with sherry or stock. Let the liquid reduce to about half and coat the mushrooms with the glaze.
Serve the corn in a bowl and top with the mushrooms. Try not to inhale it through your nose while you gobble it down.
