Corn Griddle Cakes

Monday, August 3, 2009 by Marianne 2 Comments

It’s corn season here in Massachusetts which means that as CSA members, we’ll often get six ears in a single week; I love corn on the cob, but that’s a bit much for me.  I actually found this particular recipe as I was browsing cookbooks for recipes to pass along to my CSA for their newsletters/veggie guide.  Once I saw it, I knew I’d be testing it out once corn season arrived.

The recipe comes from Jack Bishop’s A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. I really enjoy that particular cookbook – it’s a nice resource for seasonal preparations AND Jack lives on the east coast so his seasons are the same as mine (something that is never the case with California-based cookbooks).

It’s a quick and easy recipe that gives you the pleasure of pancakes for supper. I served them with some re-fried beans, some zucchini sautéed with chili powder and cilantro, and sour cream.

Savory Corn Griddle Cakes
Recipe adapted from A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen

I made a few changes to this recipe – I didn’t grate the corn, I just took it off of the cob and left it whole and I used a mix of 1/2 cornmeal and 1/2 flour.

• 4 medium ears of corn, husks & silks removed
• 1/4 cup cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
• 1 tablespoon minced cilantro
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs – lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for cooking cakes
• 1 cup AP flour, or 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine corn, cheese, cilantro, milk, eggs and melted butter in a bowl, stirring until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt). Fold dry ingredients into corn mixture until no streaks of flour remain – don’t overmix. Lightly grease a griddle or non-stick skillet with butter and oil, and heat until droplets of water flicked on to the surface dance.

Fill a 1/4 cup measure with the batter and pour it on to your griddle or skillet. Cook cakes until browned on both sides, flipping once. Keep cooked cakes warm in a 200 degree oven until they are ready to serve.

Spiced Honey Syrup

I have to admit that I didn’t make this because I thought it would be icky with the zucchini and refritos. I do however think this syrup would be delicious and will be making it in the future (the future where CSA zucchini are not multiplying in my fridge).

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 small chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
• Pinch of salt

Bring the honey, chile and salt to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Lower heat and let simmer for 1 minute. Serve warm.