Healthy 'creamed' corn skips the cream

There are few foods as simple, delicious and complete as fresh corn on the cob. When it's really fresh, I'll even eat it raw.

Still, even perfection can get boring, and I recently began wondering what else I could do with fresh corn. I thought back to my days as the host of the Food Network's "Cooking Live," when one of my guest chefs whipped up some corn soup and thickened it with puréed corn.

Any puréed vegetable will thicken a soup. But corn has a secret ingredient – duh! – cornstarch. I was astonished by the creaminess and thickness of my guest's soup.

This recipe was inspired by that soup. Creamed corn is thus named because it usually depends on cream for its texture. That's a problem for me for a couple of reasons. The cream makes the dish too rich, and it tends to mask the flavor of the corn itself.

So I took a tip from my chef friend and used puréed corn to achieve a silky richness without any additional fat. Caramelized onions add great depth of flavor, while the chili's heat and lime juice's acidity balance the sweetness of the corn.

Finish the dish with basil, cilantro or just about any herb from the garden.

Spicy "creamed" corn

Start to finish: 30 minutes

Serves 6

Recipe from chef and cookbook author Sara Moulton.

INGREDIENTS

10 to 12 ears fresh corn, husked

3/4 cup chicken broth, vegetable broth or water, divided

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or olive oil

1 cup finely chopped yellow onion

Salt

1 serrano chili, seeds and ribs discarded if desired, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice or lemon juice, to taste

1 tablespoon shredded fresh basil or chopped fresh cilantro

Ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

Carefully cut the kernels off the ears of corn. To do this, stand each ear on its wide end and use a serrated knife to saw down the length of the cob. You should have about 6 cups of kernels.

In a blender, combine 1 cup of the kernels and 1/2 cup of the broth. Purée until smooth. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium, heat the oil. Add the onion and a pinch of salt, reduce the heat to moderately low and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add the remaining corn kernels and another pinch of salt. Sauté for 3 minutes. Add the chili and puréed corn, then bring the mixture to a simmer; cook for 2 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of chicken broth, the lime juice and basil. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer for another minute.

Per serving: 220 calories; 80 calories from fat (36% of total calories); 9 g fat (0.5 g sat.; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg chol.; 36 g carb.; 8 g protein; 4 g fiber; 150 mg sodium.

• Read more articles by Sara Moulton

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