"CornOnTheCob" news and stories

They're not knee high, and it's not the Fourth of July, but fresh corn on the cob, and the summer parties that surround it, are on our minds. File this under "Must Make As Soon As Possible," and start salivating. Blogger Dayna McIssac put a little Latin-American flavor in her grilled corn with a sweet chile-lime glaze. With leftovers, she continued the Latin theme in a recipe for corn-and-quinoa salad.

Grilling corn doesn't mean simply throwing the cobs on the flames. You need to first pull back the husks, remove the silk, and soak the corn for around ten minutes, then drain it. I'll let Curtis Stone explain it all for you: See his recipe for grilled corn with parsley and garlic.

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Love the fresh flavor of corn on the cob but hate how it gets caught in your teeth? There are a few ways to cut a good kernel.

Yesterday, I mentioned the produce anxiety I face when the summer starts to head into fall. One way I combat the unrest I experience during the waning days of peaches and heirloom tomatoes is to eat meals that are simple, easy combinations of the best of the season. After I unpacked my farmers market haul yesterday, I made a very basic salad for lunch.

You can think of it as a very chunky guacamole, and if you were looking for a tasty dip, you could chop everything a bit finer and serve it with tortilla chips. I like eating more like a creamy salad, the corn kernels blending into the avocado chunks and hiding in the tomatoes. I made mine completely plain, seasoned with just with salt and pepper, although if you wanted a bit more acidity, you could dress it with a squeeze of lime juice. My basic recipe is after the jump.

When I was young and my family still lived in Los Angeles, we'd make the drive from Eagle Rock to Woodland Hills to visit my grandma Bunny about once a month. My dad's brothers would arrive with their families, filling the driveway with cars, dogs and kids. The musicians would settle down to the serious business of jamming, while Bunny listened, occasionally added a harmony line and took care of dinner. During the summer months, she would buy dozens of ears of corn and it would be my job to help her with the husking. We'd sit outside at a picnic table, a paper grocery bag from Ralph's between us and we shuck away. I can't make corn on the cob without thinking of her.

Over the weekend, I bought some corn at the farmers market and last night I gave it a quick steam. I was the only one eating, but I boiled all I had, because while I love it buttered and hot, straight off the cob, I also am a big fan of fresh corn on salads. What I couldn't eat was sliced off the cob and is now waiting in the fridge to be tossed with some arugula and Lancaster county tomatoes. Oh, but it was good on the cob. Sweet and crunchy and tasting of the essence of summer.

photo by Marisa McClellan

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• How to catch and cook a Maine lobster.
• The research behind the movie No Reservations.
• This couple collects old and rare cookbooks.
• Meals fit for a queen.
• A cool tool for your corn on the cob.
• This week's recipes: Mussels with Wine, Mussels with Saffron and Tomatoes, Oaxacan Potatoes, Plum Ketchup, Ballpark Mustard, and Peach-Cornmeal Muffins.