Charcoal Grilled Corn With Sour Cream And Chile Food

CHARCOAL-GRILLED CORN WITH CREAM, CHEESE, AND CHILE

Steps:

• 1. Preliminaries. About an hour before serving, place the ears of corn in a deep bowl, cover with cold water and weight with a plate to keep them submerged. Light your charcoal fire and let it burn until the bed of coals is medium-hot; adjust the grill 4 inches above the fire.
• 2. Grilling the corn. Lay the corn on the grill and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, turning frequently, until the outer leaves are blackened. Remove, let cool several minutes, then remove the husks and silk. About 10 minutes before serving brush the corn with melted butter, return to the grill and turn frequently until nicely browned. Serve right away, passing the cream, cheese and powdered chile for your guests to use to their own liking.

GRILLED PORTOBELLOS WITH CHILE SAUCE, SOUR CREAM AND CORN NUTS

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit/240 degrees Celsius. Add the bell pepper, tomato and yellow onion to a medium parchment-lined rimmed baking tray, and toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and a small pinch of salt.
• Arrange the peppers and tomatoes skin side up on the parchment, and roast for 22 minutes, or until softened in places. Set aside, and when cool enough to handle, peel and discard the pepper and tomato skins.
• As the vegetables cook, add the dried chiles to a medium heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to fully submerge. Weigh down the chiles with a small saucer and let sit for 20 minutes to rehydrate.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, a tablespoon of lime juice and a tiny pinch of salt until smooth. Set aside.
• Place a well-greased grill pan over high heat and ventilate your kitchen well. In a large bowl, gently toss together the mushrooms, red onion, 3 1/2 tablespoons oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt.
• Once your grill is hot enough, add half the mushrooms, cap side down, and half the onions. Grill the mushrooms for 5 minutes, then flip them over and grill for another 3 minutes, or until nicely charred and cooked through. Grill the onions for 4 to 5 minutes, flipping as necessary, until charred and softened (don't worry if the layers separate further). Transfer to a large bowl. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms and onions. When ready, toss the grilled vegetables with half of the cumin seeds, the remaining tablespoon of lime juice and 1 tablespoon of oil.
• Once the chiles have soaked, remove them, discarding the water. Roughly chop the chiles, then add to a blender along with the roasted vegetables, garlic, maple syrup, 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon/100 milliliters of fresh water, the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Blitz until completely smooth and silky. If the mushrooms aren't finished cooking, transfer the sauce to a small saucepan over medium heat, and gently warm through, stirring occasionally.
• Pour the warm chile sauce onto a large platter with a lip, swirling to cover the surface of the plate. Use a spoon to drizzle over the sour cream, then top with the mushrooms, onions and any remaining juices. Sprinkle over the remaining cumin seeds, half the corn nuts and all the oregano, serving the remaining corn nuts alongside.

GRILLED CORN WITH CHILE BUTTER

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for high-heat cooking. For each corn cob, tear a piece of aluminum foil large enough to wrap it completely.
• In a bowl, combine the butter, chile, garlic (if using), salt and pepper. Mix well and taste. Adjust the seasonings; add drops of hot sauce if the butter is not spicy enough. Set aside.
• Shuck the corn. Use your hands to rub butter mixture thoroughly onto each cob, reserving about 1/4 of the mixture for basting. Wrap each buttered cob in aluminum foil.
• When ready to cook, place cobs on the grill (or, if the fire is low, in the coals) and cook 12 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, until steamed and cooked through.
• Unwrap and place on the grill. Use remaining butter to baste the corn as it grills, turning it until lightly charred and cooked through. Serve immediately with lime wedges, if using.

ESQUITES

Steps:

• In a large cast iron or heavy skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add corn, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is nicely charred and softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand for 2 minutes. (This helps the corn pick up more char and smoky flavor.)
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine mayonnaise, crema, cilantro and lime juice; season with salt and pepper. Reserve 1/4 cup sauce in a small bowl for drizzling.
• Add seared corn to the large bowl, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer to a large serving platter, spreading corn mixture in an even layer. Drizzle with the reserved sauce, and sprinkle with Cotija and chile powder. Garnish with more cilantro and serve with lime wedges.