Crunchy Corn Cakes

                   Makes approx. 12-3 inch cakes

 Kernels cut from 2 ears of corn

1/2 C all purpose flour

1/2C finely ground corn flour (masa harina) 

1t baking powder

1t salt

Pepper to taste

1 egg, lightly beaten

1/2-3/4C buttermilk or whole milk

1C grated Gruyère or sharp cheddar cheese

2 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced

Hot chili pepper to taste 

1 clove of garlic finely chopped

1/4C vegetable or peanut oil

4 T unsalted butter

In a large bowl, combine the flour, corn flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper and mix well.

In a smaller bowl, add the egg, 1/2C of buttermilk or regular milk, cheese, scallions, chile pepper if using and garlic and mix with a fork to combine.

Pour the liquid ingredients into the flour mixture and stir with a fork just until no dry flour is visible.  You may need to add more of the milk until you get a very thick batter.

Set the batter aside to a few minutes while you prepare your pan. Place a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Cast iron works very well.

 Add about 2 T oil and 2T butter to the pan and heat until shimmering and a bit of the batter dropped into the pan bubbles. Use a small scoop or large spoon to drop about 2T of batter into the pan then using the back of the scoop or spoon flatten the batter out to a 2-3 inch circle. 

Lower the heat to medium and fry until golden brown then carefully flip over and cook the second side until golden and crispy too. Repeat adding more oil and butter as needed until all of the cakes are fried  they can be kept warm in a 200° oven but I find they tend to get a little soggy and so I just put them on a wire rack over a sheet pan and keep them at the back of the stove. They are just as tasty room temperature as hot  

NOTE; I HIGHLY recommend you cover the frying pan with a splatter guard as the corn kernels have a tendency to pop and spray very hot oil onto the cook.  I hold the guard in front of the pan like a shield while I flip the pancakes as you never know when they will pop and you do not want to get burned.

Serve warm or at room temperature  

These cakes also make a great hors d’oeuvre. Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of batter and fry as above. Top with a bit of crème fraîche or sour cream and a bit of salmon roe or a small piece of smoked salmon