A stack of corn cakes filled and garnished with apricot preserves with morsels of chevre (goat cheese) introduced for some tartness.
This week’s First Friday with Dorie recipe is the answer to every Iowa girl’s dream. Since I’m a born ‘n bred Iowan and more than a lil’ bit country, I consider myself an authority on CORN.
Dorie, did you know:
1. In 2011, Iowa corn farmers grew almost 2.3 billion bushels of corn on 13.7 million acres of land.
2. Iowa has produced the largest corn crop (most of it field corn) of any state for almost two decades. In an average year, Iowa produces more corn than most countries.
3. Corn has been the dominant crop in Iowa for more than 150 years!
The Sprout character was introduced in Green Giant® advertising in 1973. He is an apprentice to the kindly Green Giant® and helps the Giant tend the vegetables. The Jolly Green Giant® is the third most recognized advertising icon of the 20th century, behind Ronald McDonald and the Marlboro Man. (greengiant.com)
In fairness to our neighbors to the north, I’ll concede that the Jolly Green Giant and his sidekick, Sprout, raise more sweet corn for the consumer market than we Iowans. That’s why the canned corn you use for this recipe might have grown up in Minnesota.
Yes, for this recipe we are using canned corn, those sweet little krammed-with-karbohydrates kernels. Dorie suggests we find a can that is without sugar or corn syrup. Although corn is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium, 82 percent of the calories in this food are from carbohydrates. It is, however, a good source of dietary fiber, thiamin and folate.
But I digress. French housewives have been using canned corn to make these little pancakes for years. Who knew? They were first introduced stateside in the mid-Eighties after world-famous chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten arrived here. He paired them with crème fraîche and caviar. Of course he did! Although they are fine as an hors d’oeuvre, they also are an interesting accompaniment to any meat dish to replace potatoes, rice, or noodles.
Mise en Place, the ingredients for making corn cakes. Just a few are needed for this simple delight.
For these little wonders, throw three ingredients, corn, eggs, and flour, into your blender or processor. Salt. Then use a tablespoon to drop the batter into a skillet well-lacquered with grapeseed oil (or, any mild oil). Once you achieve a golden color on each side (2 minutes per side), pat off the excess oil and transfer to the warm cookie sheet waiting in the oven.
When making pancakes for breakfast, my Mother would call these “silver dollar” pancakes in size.
After making the pancakes and cooling them to room temperature, I tried three different versions. Serving them with guacamole as a garnish to accompany my lunch of chilled corn and crab salad was delicious. For dessert, I made them into a Raspberry-Crème Fraîche Shortcake. So tasty. If crème fraîche is too strong a taste for you, try whipped cream instead. I just thought the three flavors, sweet fruit, tangy sauce, and corny cake, played well together.
Corn pancakes, garnished with guacamole and served as an accompaniment to chilled corn salad and crab.
For dinner, just needing a snack, I used apricot preserves as a filling for a corn pancake stack to which I introduced morsels of chevre (goat cheese). This idea was actually my favorite taste.
Corn pancakes filled and garnished with crème fraîche and added raspberries.
Although we don’t share recipes from “Around My French Table”, because we would like you to buy the book, I believe you’d make good corn pancakes by blending a 15-ounce can of corn with 2 eggs and 6 tablespoons of flour. Don’t forget the salt. To see how my colleagues, who probably aren’t “corn-fed” did with this week’s recipe, go here.
The world-famous Iowa State Fair butter cow is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. As a kid, I would visit the butter cow during our family’s annual trip to the fair. As a Mother, I made sure my girls never missed the fair. (Rodney White/The Register)
So I want to know… did you ever have a part-time job detasseling corn in the summer? I was surprised that the French use corn cooking. I had a French boyfriend who was horrified by popcorn. He said, “Corn is for cattle.” I like the way you served them.
I have to tell you, where I grew up in Upstate NY there were corn fields aplenty – although a lot of it was cow feed corn for all the dairy cows. But you definitely get the corn queen crown 🙂
Your treats all look lovely this week.
Wow, Mary.
I’m so impressed with the variety of toppings you made to go with these. I’m also really glad to hear that you liked them – I’ve been less than enthusuastic about making them, but tonight’s the night!
BTW, what do you do that allows/requires you to travel so much?
I love your enthusiasm for these – it shines through. The dessert pancakes look fabulous!
I love all your variations! Absolute brilliance! excellent post.. That corn crab salad looks amazing!
I miss Iowa, and the endless fields of green. Love your three choices for toppings — quite creative.
I love the idea of guacamole! And the chevre, which is my favorite cheese. All that corn info, you know your crop! I visited Iowa once, in january, cold as a marble statue.
The apricot jam and chevre sounds really good. Your pancakes look fluffier than mine. I may have liked them if you I ate yours! haha. That butter cow is amazing! How does a person discover that they’re skilled at carving butter?
It never would have occurred to me to serve these as a dessert. They just seemed way too savory. In the year that I lived in France I don’t think I had corn one time. It’s weird, because it’s something I was so used to, and then I didn’t see it once for an entire year!
Great uses for your corn pancakes!
How cute, Mary. 🙂 My family has been making them a lot longer than since the 80s. I love that you made so many different versions. They all look terrific and tasty! Have a great weekend!
Yummy! Thanks for all the ideas!!!
Mary, so many different variations on the main theme and so much information – I must say, you certainly had some wonderful ideas there. The stack with the crème fraîche and raspberries looks very pretty, the apricot/chèvre version looks intriguing and the guacamole topping looks very fresh and summery – so much work and it all looks delicious.
And the info about the corn – never realized that corn was such a huge business!
Have a wonderful weekend!
You really went all out with these Mary! I love it! Especially the goat cheese version – I LOVE chevre! Seems like a lot of our fellows didn’t really care for these but I think I might go your route and just eat them for every meal today!
Hi Mary, I just love that butter cow! Your adornments for the corn pancakes are truly inspiring. Guacamole is perfect. And, I like your dessert idea too. Nice post! Have a great 4th of July.
Wow, all three versions look delicious!
Mary, Really enjoyed your post! I absolutely love that you served them with crème fraîche and raspberries. They look wonderful!! We really enjoyed these pancakes, too! Have a great 4th weekend!!
I’m loving some of your serving suggestions. In fact, I am kicking myself for not thinking to pair my pancakes with guacamole. I throw avocado on pretty much everything, but somehow didn’t think of it this time. Leave it to an Iowa girl to do the corn recipe right 🙂
I was teasing my dad when he was here eating corn on the cob over the 4th…telling him Indiana corn was tastier than Iowa corn! Not sure he bought it 🙂 Loving all the ways you served these corn cakes…and drooling over your corn and crab salad…wow.
I enjoyed the history of corn. Must have been fun going to the state fair. When my sister lived in Texas I went to the state fair with her and it was fun. We enjoyed these pancakes.