End of Summer: Freezing Sweet Corn

This weekend my efforts in the kitchen had less to do with dinner tonight than with dinner in, say, January. That's when I'll be eating the corn and tomatoes I packed into my freezer. My favorite summer fruits and veggies are still available at the farmers market, so I've been buying them up and storing them away for the winter. Knowing I won't have to resort quite so much to flavorless supermarket replicas eases (a little) the regret that summer's bounty will soon be over.

Yesterday I put up four pounds of plum tomatoes and a dozen ears of sweet corn. Next week I'll talk about the tomatoes; today I'll describe how I did the corn. I've used this simple method of freezing corn for the past several years and have had good results with it. I'm sure it's not the only, or maybe even the best way to freeze sweet corn, so I'd love to hear your thoughts and compare notes with your favorite methods.

As always when preparing food to be put up, I make sure my hands, utensils and work surfaces are very clean - less important for freezing than for canning, but a good practice anyway. I shuck and de-silk the corn and blanch it in a large pot of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, just long enough for the color of the kernels to brighten. I then dunk it in an ice-water bath to stop it from cooking further and to make it cool enough to handle.

Then I cut the kernels from the ears: I slice each ear in half crosswise, stand each half on its cut end on a large cutting board, and slice down the rows of kernels, rotating the ear an eighth of a turn or so and slicing again until all the kernels are removed. I use a smooth motion and the sharpest knife I have, keeping the blade as close as possible to the base of the kernels without cutting into the cob itself. Then, using the back of the knife, I scrape down along the cob firmly to press out the sweet, milky pulp. I stir pulp and kernels together in a large bowl and continue until all the ears are done.

Using a 1/2-cup scoop, I portion the corn into small-sized Ziplock bags. I seal the bags, squeezing out as much air as possible, stack them on a tray or baking sheet, and put them in the freezer overnight. In the morning I put the frozen bags into a larger freezer bag, just so they stay organized inside my freezer.

And that's it. It's a very easy process. The dozen ears yielded 18 1/2-cup portions and took me all of 80 minutes or so to prepare. In the cold months ahead the corn will go into in chowders and stews, get baked into cornbread or spoonbread, or simply get heated up with butter, salt and pepper alongside some roasted root vegetables. Its sunny flavor will give me a glimpse of summer as I watch the snow fly in the wintery air outside.

Toasted Sweet Corn Pudding

Gourmet | November 2009

by Ian Knauer

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Active time: 10 min

Total time: 1 1/2 hr

In this golden casserole (which you'll find on many Pennsylvania Dutch tables), a buttermilk custard rises to the top while the chewy, toasty corn sinks to the bottom, resulting in a two-layered pudding. The packaged sweet corn-frequently called by its most common brand name, Cope's corn-is slowly dried so that its natural sugars caramelize, a centuries-old Native American preservation method. Recipes usually call for grinding the corn, but the whole kernels impart a coarser texture that we love.

Ingredients

  • 1 (7 1/2-ounces) package Cope's corn (toasted dried sweet corn)

  • 4 cups whole milk

  • 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk (not powdered)

  • 4 large eggs, lightly beaten

  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

  • 2 tablespoons sugar

  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in upper third. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish.

Whisk together all ingredients with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Transfer to baking dish. Bake until pudding is set, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool 10 minutes before serving.

Cooks' note: Corn pudding can be made 3 hours ahead. Reheat, covered, in a 300°F oven.

Are you putting up food for the winter? What's saved up so far in your freezer or pantry?

By David Klopfenstein

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