Louisiana Maquechoux Food

CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crisp, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove using a slotted spoon, and let drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in skillet.
• Add butter to drippings, and heat over medium heat until butter is melted. Add bell pepper, onion, and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes. Add corn and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add cream, salt, black pepper, and cayenne, and cook, stirring frequently, until cream has reduced slightly, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Crumble bacon, and stir into corn mixture. Season to taste with salt and black pepper. Garnish with oregano, if desired.

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.

LOUISIANA MAQUECHOUX

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium-size non-stick skillet.
• Add onion and red pepper and cook, over medium-high heat until the vegetables are soft and well browned (10 to 15 minutes).
• Add corn, tomatoes, salt, sugar and cayenne pepper.
• Heat until mixture starts to bubble over high heat, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until corn is tender.
• Check and stir occasionally.
• It will take about 20 minutes for fresh corn to cook and about 10 minutes for frozen corn.
• When corn is done, stir in half and half and cook until it is hot.
• Garnish by sprinkling with freshly ground black pepper and chopped parsley.

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:

• 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.

CAJUN - CREOLE MAQUECHOUX

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 off whole kernels), then scrape the knife along the cob to get all of the"milk" out of it.
• Melt the butter in a 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 evaporated milk and stir well.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook until the corn is tender, about 10-15 more minutes.
• Adjust seasonings to taste.