Butter Bath Corn

 

Butter Bath Corn on the cob.  How have I gone my whole life without tasting this delicious technique of cooking corn on the cob?  

I discovered this Butter Bath Recipe on thekitchn and as soon as I saw it I knew it was something I really wanted to try.  I was immediately intrigued.  Butter.  Bath.  

Surely something immersed in a butter bath has to be delicious right?

 

I decided to risk it.  I have gone over 20 years without tasting really good corn on the cob. It just doesn't exist in the UK.  (Sorry UK!)

It is saying something when canned corn tastes better than the corn you can buy fresh in the shops.  England does not have a climate that is conducive to growing sweet corn, eating corn.  Cow corn, certainly, but not the kind of corn I grew up on.

 

Its just far too wet and they don't get enough sunshine.  I even tried growing my own one year using seeds someone had sent me from North America.  Peaches and Cream.

I got (from the whole pack) only 4 ears of corn and they were no more than 4 inches in length and whilst tasty, left me wanting. 

 

You do get corn on the cob there, but it is shipped in from afar. None of it is grown locally.  And they always husk it before you see it in the shops.

Everyone in North America knows corn begins to deteriorate in flavor as soon as it is picked.  Also husking it too far before eating it is a huge no-no.

 

The best corn of all is eaten fresh on the day it is picked and you don't husk it until just before you go to cook it.  Its the truth.

I have eaten a lot of corn on the cob in my lifetime. When I was a child my parents would buy it by the paper bag full, several bakers dozen (which means 13 cobs each dozen) and we would have a corn on the cob feast supper.

 

That is literally all we would have for supper.  Corn on the cob, hot, buttered and salty.  And we could have as much of it as we could eat.

It was the same for my children when they were growing up.  Corn season was something we looked forward to all year long.  

When I lived in Southern Ontario we would buy it from the backs of farm wagons parked by the side of the road. It made for really good eating.

 

We would sit the kids out back at the picnic table with the bags of corn and a garbage bin fitted with a black bag.  They would go to town husking it ready for cooking.

I used a huge and I mean HUGE stock pot to cook it in.  Bringing the water to the boil (I always added some sugar to the water)  and carefully dropping in the cobs.  

 

As soon as you could smell it, I knew the corn was done to perfection.  And I do mean perfect. 

This tasty recipe is a riff on that original and is really delicious.  Instead of just cooking your corn in a bath of boiling water, it gets cooked in a bath of water, milk and butter.  Oh my my  . . . 

 

Has to be good right?  Right!  Its excellent.  I saw some corn at the local market and I picked some up the other day and was looking for a different way to cook it.

I saw this and just had to try it.  I am so happy that I did, because it is excellent!

 

I actually tried the Hot Honey Butter Bath version. It was delicious!

Sweet corn on the cob cooked in a bath of water, milk, butter, honey and hot pepper flakes. Has to be good right?

 

There are actually five different versions to choose from including the basic.  Hot Honey Butter. Garlic and Herb Butter. Buffalo Butter and Tex Mex Butter.

I aim to try all of them before the summer is out.  Diverticulitis be damned!  (Yes at my age, eating corn on the cob can be a bit like playing a losing game with my innards.)

 

But I love corn on the cob so much that I am willing to take the risk.  I have been without good corn on the cob for far too long.

Far too long.  I am just grateful that I still have all of my teeth to be able to eat it!  Yay me!

 

I can remember as a child eating corn on the cob like the cylinder on a typewriter going through its motions. Yes, we had watched too many cartoons.

We would run our mouths along it row by delicious row, as quickly as we could.  Even emitting a dinging nose when we got to the end, ready to start again at the beginning.

 

Oh the innocence of childhood.  What a wonderful thing it is.  Simple simple joys and pleasures! 

Like abundant corn on the cob feasts, all you can eat, dripping with butter.  Seriously tasty.  I don't dare eat that much butter on it now.  But I confess . . .  the child in me would still love to,

 

Anyways, do yourself a favor and cook your corn on the cob like this at least once this summer and when you do, prepare yourself to fall in love.

Totally and inextricably in love.  You have been forewarned.

Butter Bath Corn

Yield: 6

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 8 MinTotal time: 13 Min

A wonderfully unique method of cooking corn on the cob that yields sweet delicious, perfectly cooked and juicy corn on the cob, with four tasty variations.

Ingredients

Basic Butter Bath Corn

• 6 ears of ripe husked corn, cut in half crosswise
• 4 cups (1 liter) water
• 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Place the cold water into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil and then add the milk, butter and salt.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and add the corn.  Cover and cook for exactly 8 minutes.
3. Remove to a platter and serve immediately with or without additional butter for spreading.

Notes:

For Garlic and Herb: Cook as above, adding 6 cloves of smashed garlic, a medium sized bunch of fresh thyme.

For Buffalo Butter: Cook as above adding 1 cup (240ml) of lager (beer), 1/4 cup (60ml) hot sauce. Reduce the salt to 1/2 tsp.

For Hot Honey Butter: Cook as above adding 1/2 cup (120ml) liquid honey and 1 tsp red pepper flakes.

For Tex Mex: Cook as above adding 1 cup (220g), 1 tsp mild chili powder, 1/2 tsp ground cumin and reducing the salt to 1/2 tsp.

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