Best Maque Choux Food

MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Working with 1 corn cob at a time, set the ear of corn upright in a medium bowl. Shave the corn from the cob by slicing down the sides using the tip of a sharp chef's knife, holding the knife almost vertical. (This gives you neat tablets of corn that land squarely in the bowl and keeps the kernels from scattering all over the counter.) Using the back of the knife, scrape each cob to release all the nibs and the "milk" of the kernels into the bowl. Repeat with remaining ears of corn, then snap the cobs in half, and add them to the bowl.
• In a large, deep sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and celery, and season with 1 or 2 pinches of kosher salt. Stir constantly until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons butter and the bell pepper, poblano and serrano, and stir constantly, adding another pinch of kosher salt, letting the butter melt and the peppers soften and become translucent, about 2 or 3 minutes. You will smell the peppers' sweetness and their mild capsaicin releasing.
• Add the final 3 tablespoons butter and the corn mixture from the bowl, cobs included, and another pinch of kosher salt. Stir constantly to coat with the butter and combine thoroughly.
• When everything starts to hiss and sound hot, but isn't cooking so hard as to take color, add 1/2 cup water and a healthy few grinds of black pepper, and cover the pan for a couple of minutes to steam/shallow braise the mixture.
• Remove the lid, and stir well, noticing the corn releasing its liquid and the kernels softening, and the cobs turning somewhat translucent, if however vague. You will notice a general softening and melding together. Return the lid, and let cook a few more minutes, noticing the water evaporating and the remaining liquid reducing and gaining some "body" and gloss. Discard the corn cobs, but do suck them before tossing - those buttery juices make a nice cook's treat.
• Taste for salt, and serve. It should be sweet, spicy, a bit wet and surprisingly complex, given the few ingredients and their ordinariness. If you want a smoky taste, add a good pinch of smoked paprika.

MAQUE CHOUX SKILLET CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Add the bacon to a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat and let the fat render out, stirring occasionally, until the edges begin to brown. Toss in the jalapeño, red bell pepper and corn and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the buttermilk, eggs and melted butter, then the green onions, until combined.
• Pour the batter into the hot skillet and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Slice into wedges and serve with tomato butter.
• Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
• Set the tomato in the hot pan cut-side down. Cook until the tomato softens and is caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Let the tomato cool slightly, then add to a food processor along with the butter and salt. Pulse until combined. Remove the butter with a rubber spatula to a small bowl.

CAJUN CORN AND BACON MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Cut corn off the cobs by thinly slicing across the tops of the kernels; place in a medium bowl. Cut across the kernels again to release milk from the corn, add milk to bowl. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and green pepper, cook until onion is transparent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Combine corn, tomatoes, and milk with the onion mixture. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook 20 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Do not boil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Lower heat, cover skillet, and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer. Stir in green onions and bacon. Remove from heat and serve.

CAJUN CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• 1. Cut the kernels off of the corn into a large bowl. Using the back of the knife, scrape the sweet corn milk from the cobs to extract about 3 tablespoons and add it to the bowl. Set aside.
• 2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Add the butter to the skillet and when melted, add the celery, bell peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the milk, scallion whites, garlic, tomatoes and corn. Cook until thickened, 10 minutes.
• 3. Serve garnished with the scallion greens and reserved bacon.

MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Saute the onion, bell pepper, garlic, and jalapeno pepper in hot oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until tender.
• Stir in corn, tomatoes, and Creole seasoning; reduce heat to low.
• Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

TASSO MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the Tasso and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the corn, onions and bell peppers. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Saute for about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 to 18 minutes, or until the corn is tender. Add the cream, stir, and remove from the heat.

SUNNY'S SWEET QUICK KENNER MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• In a large pan with straight sides, add the bacon and cook over medium heat, rendering the fat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, butter and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, garlic, corn and chicken stock. Stir and bring to a low simmer, then cook until everything is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and a generous amount of black pepper, more salt and cayenne pepper.
• Transfer to a platter and serve.

SWEET AND SPICY MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Shuck the corn and remove all of the cornsilk.
• Hold each cob over a bowl and cut the kernels away in layers (don't cut whole kernels) then scrape the knife along the cob to get all of the 'milk' out of it.
• Melt butter in large saucepan or pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and tomatoes and saute until the onions are transparent, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in the salt and peppers, then add the corn and milk from the cobs, the sugar and the evaporated milk and stir well.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook until corn is tender, about 10-15 more minutes.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.

VEGETARIAN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Remove the husks from corn; scrub with a stiff brush to remove silks.
• Rinse.
• Use a sharp knife to remove corn from cobs, cutting two-thirds of the way to the cob.
• Scrape cobs with a dull edge of a knife.
• (You should have about 4 cups.) In a 3-quart saucepan, cook onion and green pepper in butter or margarine about 5 minutes or until tender.
• Stir in corn, tomato, salt, black pepper, and red pepper.
• Cover and cook over low heat about 20 minutes or until corn is tender.
• Season to taste.
• Enjoy!
• Makes 6 side-dish servings.