Guess who can make grilled corn fritters? The dude who has the ability to fire up a grill and make pancakes, not even at the same time! And if you can grate cheese and loosely measure other ingredients, Jarlsberg pimento cheese is on your horizon. Paddle forth and conquer. This recipe makes an impressive appetizer and tastes best at room temperature.
Wine Pairing: 2009 Chono Chardonnay
Ingredients
For the pimiento cheese:
- 1 1/2 cups Jarlsberg cheese, coarsely grated
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne powder
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
- 4 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup jarred pimentos, drained well and chopped coarsely
- 3 tablespoons pepperoncini brine
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- chives, thinly sliced, to garnish
For the corn fritters:
- 4 ears of corn
- olive oil
- 1 cup flour
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 large egg, beaten
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Directions
For the grilled corn:
Preheat a grill to medium high. Shuck the corn, rub with olive oil and grill until cooked though and slightly charred — about 15 minutes. Remove from grill and set aside to cool.
For the pimiento cheese:
Combine the Jarlsberg, cayenne, cream cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos and pepperoncini brine in a large bowl using a fork. Taste for salt and pepper, cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.
For the fritters:
Cut the corn off the cobs — there should be about 2 cups. In a large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and onion powder. Add egg, lemon juice and water and beat until you have a batter. Fold in corn kernels. Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil. When it’s hot, add heaping tablespoons of batter to the pan, being careful not to overcrowd. When the tops are bubbly, about a minute, flip fritters and cook on the other side for about 30 seconds each or until golden brown. Transfer fritters to a layer of paper towels to drain and let them cool to room temperature before adding pimento cheese. To serve, place a spoonful of room-temperature pimento cheese on each fritter and garnished with chopped chives.
Recipe courtesy of Food Republic
