Elote al Viento | Recipe

For the past several seasons, I have spent many hot summer days (and plenty of wet fall days) farming with the best of 'em at Wildwood Farm in Hood River. I have countless sun-drenched, dirty-feet, marvelous memories of Farm Wednesdays (always Wednesdays). Among those memories is catching Paul (half of the duo who stewards the Wildwood land) in the midst of shoulder-high corn stalks, chomping away at an ear of raw yellow corn. Like many people, I didn't know that was a thing - eating raw corn. But it is, in fact, a beautiful thing, and a great way to intimately know the incredible flavor of an expertly grown ear of corn that bespeaks of the provenance of this most ancient of plants.While I fully endorse eating your corn raw, I also want to offer up my favorite thing to do with corn in the summer: elote. Elote is a Mexican street snack that is essentially their zesty corn on the cob. At its most basic, it consists of cooked corn smothered with something creamy, sprinkled with something spicy, and topped with cilantro and cheese. As with any dish, there's no single or absolute way to make elote, so I wrote a recipe for my inspired version of it based on my experience snacking in Mexico, the plant resources I have, and flavors that I enjoy. I made this for my most recent Ceviche Sunday at Viento Winery, hence the title, and it was a real people pleaser. It felt like cheating, though, because it's so simple to make, and that corn would have been delectable even with nothing on it.

So get out there, grab all the locally grown corn you can carry from your local farmer's market (like everything, the difference between the corn you'll find at a farmer's market vs. most supermarkets is immeasurable), and make yourself some elote. Invite friends and do not expect leftovers.

ingredients

4 ears of fresh corn
1 cup Crema Blanca(optional: 1/4 cup mayo for thickness)
cayenne pepper
3+ juicy limes
Queso Fresco or Cotija Cheese
Fresh Cilantro

instructions

You can cook the corn either by boiling or grilling it, whatever your pleasure. I boiled this yellow corn for just five minutes, to plump up those kernels, and it was delicious. I'm an equal opportunity cook, though, and next time I'll grill it. (If you're grilling and you like to keep the husk on - so you can use it as a handle for eating! - just be sure to pull out the corn silks inside the husk. They won't do you any favors on the grill! Then just wrap the husk back up around the corn.) While your corn is cooking, mix the crema and mayo with the juice of 2 or 3 limes, a dash of cayenne to your liking, a wee bit of salt. Add more of all of that to taste. Set aside. Crumble your cheese and de-stem that cilantro. To assemble your elotes: spread the cream mixture on top of the ear (a squeeze bottle is a handy tool here if you're going for picture-worthy elote), sprinkle some cayenne on top, sprinkle that crumbled cheese on top, and crown the whole deal with cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime. Enjoy!