Spiced Mexican Corn

Today was a delicious food day in my world. So good, it brought me back to blogging. It has been a LONG time. There are really no excuses — I moved across the state and just sort of got out of the swing of things. So here we go.

The highlight of the day was Mexican Spiced Corn from Saveur magazine. I have just recently become acquainted Saveur and this is the first recipe of theirs that I have tried. I can't wait to try more! I have seen a lot of recipes for grilled corn, but this recipe was a little different. In this recipe, you cook the corn with the husks for an hour in boiling water. This recipe also called for some ingredients that were new to me, cotija cheese, ancho chile sauce, and epazote. On that note, this recipe also called for my first trip to a Mexican grocery store. I have to admit, I was a little nervous, but I went in with a list and probably had one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had at a grocery store. Here, I was able to find most of my new ingredients. Unfortunately, I forgot to refrigerate the epazote so it stunk up my place before I even got to use it. This was a huge disappointment. Even more disappointing, according to most online sources, there is no comparison when looking for a substitute for epazote. Some sources suggested Mexican oregano and baldo (whatever that is), and coriander seeds or leaves. So I decided to go out to my garden and do the best with what I had. I substituted 8 sprigs of epazote with about 5 sprigs of cilantro and 5 leaves of oregano. This seemed to work out just fine, granted I had nothing to compare it to.

The next new ingredient to me was cotija cheese. This cheese has a grainier texture than most cheeses. It has a slightly salty taste and doesn't really react to the heat — it softens but doesn't melt. The ancho chili powder compliments the cheese really nicely. It has a mild, sweet flavor. There was really very little heat to it. Over all the combination of ingredients creates an explosion of flavor in your mouth. Be sure not to forget the lime wedges. I did at first and the tang adds an extra kick when you didn't even think it was possible.

One more thing I would like to comment on before leaving you with this delicious recipe is that Drew and I are still moving in the vegan direction, but not entirely. For this recipe, we used vegan butter and vegan mayonnaise but obviously did not substitute the cojita cheese. In my opinion, there are just some flavors you just have to experience before you mess with an alternative. So we have been experimenting with our vegan options as much as we can, but are trying not to limit ourselves with experiencing other new ingredients as well. Alright, on to the recipe.

ELOTE (Spiced Mexican Corn)

Kosher salt, to taste

4 ears corn, in husks
8 sprigs epazote

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 1/3 cups crumbled cotija cheese

4 tsp. ancho chili powder

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add corn and epazote, and cook (adding more water, if necessary) until corn is tender, about 1 hour. Remove from water and let the corn cool briefly.

2. Peel back husks and spread 1 tbsp. butter evenly over each ear, then brush with 2 tbsp. mayonnaise and sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese and 1 tsp. chile powder. Serve with lime wedges.