Page 72 - WCM 2019 Winter

Chef Inspired Winter Favorites
The Focus is on Quality and Freshness Recipes and Photos By Erik Person
I first made corn fritters and prime rib for the 2017 Fall menu at Cafe Nomad in Norway. This time of year, I turn to comfort food, and local farmers harvesting the season’s bounty. These sweet corn fritters make a great starter and complement the prime rib. For prime rib sides, I suggest steamed broccoli and roasted maple butternut squash.
The key to these recipes aren’t the combinations of the ingredients, it’s the quality and freshness of the produce and meat!
Pan Fried Fritters
(Makes 20 fritters) Ingredients
16 ears fresh local corn
4 local eggs
1 c. flour
1 c. Parmesan cheese, grated 1⁄4 c. scallions, minced
1⁄4 c. cornstarch 1⁄2 tsp. salt
1⁄2 tsp. pepper Canola oil
Preparation: Shuck the corn and carefully remove the illusive silk strands. Cut the corn off of the cob, saving the cobs. After all of the corn has been cut off, use the knife to scrape the rest of the corn bits off of the cob. This is called “milking” the corn, and the juices scraped off will be added to the corn mixture later.
Take half of the corn, place it in a food processor, and pulse 8 to 10 times, until the corn is pureed. Transfer the puree to a bowl and add the juices and scrapings from the cob. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to a large fry pan, let the oil heat up, add the remaining whole corn, and saute over a medium high heat for 5 minutes, or until corn softens slightly. Place the cooked corn in a bowl, return the pan to heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Allow the oil to heat to a shimmer, pour the puree in and stir continuously until the mixture has thickened and no liquid remains.
Scrape the puree into the bowl with the whole corn and allow to cool to room temp. Then add the eggs, scallions, cheese, salt and pepper. Slowly add the flour and cornstarch while stirring the mixture.
Cooking the Fritters: Heat a large nonstick pan over medium heat and add 3 tablespoons of oil. When the oil is hot, add 3 or 4 scoops of fritter mix (about
1⁄4 cup of the mix per scoop), and push down slightly into the pan to flatten the fritter. Cook until golden brown, then turn over and repeat. Drain on a paper towel. Serve with your favorite sauce.
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