Creamed Corn and Basil

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                            FOOD FUNNY
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Harriet St. Amant writes, "This timely one comes from the 'Laughing to
Keep from Crying' File of a local Baton Rouge Advocate columnist."

Louisiana tourism and seafood promotion officials have joined forces to
offset the bad press from the Gulf oil spill. They've announced new recipes, such as:
- Blackened Any Fish
- Char-oiled Oysters
- Oiled Shrimp
- Shrimp Tar Tar

And now instead of asking, "Baked, grilled or fried," it's "Regular, unleaded or premium?"

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                            TODAY'S RECIPE
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Let's face it, any vegetable tastes better with a healthy helping of
butter and cream, and corn is no exception. This dish gets a second dose of added flavor from basil.

Creamed Corn and Basil

6-8 cobs of sweet corn
1 tsp (5 ml) butter
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper (or to taste), finely chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup white wine or water
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
1/2 cup (125 ml) chopped fresh basil

Cut the kernels from the cobs, catching them in a mixing bowl, and
scrape the cobs with the back of the knife to extract the liquid,
catching it in the same bowl. You should have about 4 cups (1 L) of the
corn and liquid mixture. Combine the butter, shallots, jalapeño, and
garlic in a medium saucepan and cook over moderate heat until the
shallots are soft but not browned. Add the corn with its liquid and cook
for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the wine and cream and continue
cooking until reduced by half. Add the basil and serve immediately.
Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Tue May 18 18:52:08 2010