Corn with Bacon and Miso Butter

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...Yellow was definitely the color of my day today, and while it had a golden ending, I must admit there were moments that I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, or, at the very least, stumbled into a Kafka novel. Part of our October adventure will be spent on the Amazon and in the jungles of Peru. That, of course, means we need certain vaccinations, among them, the one for yellow fever. Sounds straight forward, huh? We had an appointment for the inoculations and I really thought it would be an easy in, easy out affair. Ten years ago that would have been the case, but my guy and I now fall into a group that is encouraged to forego the vaccination because of potential problems with immune system response. Normally, the wise decision would be to refuse the vaccine and use liberal applications of an insect repellent in its stead. There is, however, a Catch-22. Peru is one of the few places left on earth that still require a certificate of vaccination as a condition for entry into the country. If you want to see the Amazon you have to get the shot. Suffice it to say, the injections came with a lot of counseling, and what I thought would be a 10 minute affair came in closer to three hours. We are, however, now set for the adventure and God help any mosquito that tries to mess with me.

Since the theme of this post seems to be yellow, I thought this would be a great time to share a spectacular dish with you. The recipe, a mix of fresh sweet corn, bacon and a miso butter sauce, was developed by David Chang of Momofuku fame, and, I promise, it will make your socks go up and down. The dish is best made with corn fresh off the cob, but a top quality frozen shoepeg corn can be used if time is a problem. The recipe is straight forward and easy to make. The good news is corn prepared in this manner is truly delicious. The bad news is it does not keep well. So, try to make this when you have a quorum at your table. I suspect this recipe will weave its way into at least one of our holiday meals. I really like this dish and I think those of you who try it will share my enthusiasm. Here's the recipe.

Corn with Bacon and Miso Butter...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of David Chang

Instructions:
1/4 pound thick-sliced bacon (about 3 slices)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon white miso (fermented soy bean paste)
1 small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
10 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (6 to 7 cups)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (2 to 3)

Directions:
1) Cut bacon crosswise into 1/8-inch strips. Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, leaving fat in skillet.
2) While bacon cooks, stir together butter and miso in a small bowl.
3) Cook onion in bacon fat over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Add corn and pepper and increase heat to moderately high, then cook, stirring constantly, until some of kernels are pale golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add water and butter mixture and cook, stirring, until corn is tender and coated with miso butter, about 4 minutes. Stir in bacon, 1/4 cup scallions, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with remaining 1/4 cup scallions. Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

One Year Ago Today: Roasted Fennel and Peppers

Two Years Ago Today: Chiang Mai Curry Noodles with Chicken