Project Description

Once you’ve had this there is no going back to any pre-made or canned creamed corn. This is a great side dish for any time of the year just as long as you can still get to the barbecue!

Ingredients:

• 5 cobs of corn
• Olive oil
• 3-4 slices of bacon, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 leek finely sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 Knorr chicken bouillon dissolved in 1 cup boiling water
• 1 cup heavy cream (35%)

Difficulty: Easy

Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 30 min

Lead Time: N/A

Freezer Friendly: No

Leftover Alert: N/A

  1. Start up your barbecue on a low heat. Rub the cleaned cobs of corn with olive oil and place directly on the grill. Turn the cobs every couple of minutes for roughly 10 minutes or until the kernels are lightly charred in places and the corn has softened. Remove from the barbecue and set aside to cool.
  2. While the cobs of corn are cooling, thinly slice the leek. Note: watch for pockets of dirt as you slice. Typically they are in the outermost layer. Simply peel that layer away, wash the leek and continue.
  3. Next, in a large pot, cook the bacon on a medium heat until tender crisp. Remove from the pan and place on a paper towel covered plate to remove excess fat. Take the pot off the heat wipe it with a paper towel to remove excess fat.
  4. The cobs should now be cooled enough to cut off the kernels of corn. With the smaller end up, cut down the cob with a very sharp knife to remove the kernels. If they come off in large sections that’s okay – they will break apart once you cook them.
  5. Put the same pot that you cooked the bacon in earlier back on the stove and heat on medium heat. Add the butter and once hot add the leek and gently cook until softened (roughly 5 minutes).
  6. Next add the corn, bacon, water and chicken bouillon. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
  7. Now add the cream, bring to a boil and continue to cook for a few minutes with the lid on and then remove the lid and continue cooking until the liquid has reduced by half and the cream sauce has started to thicken. How thick you want the creamed corn is a personal preference, but if you find that you have cooked it too long and want it creamer, simply add a little more cream in and heat up.
  8. Serve immediately, or cover, refrigerate and reheat later.

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The main ingredients in this recipe include barbecued corn cut off the cob, leek and bacon.

 

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The flavour of this dish is enhanced by the corn being barbecued first. Rub the cob with olive oil and barbecue over a low heat for roughly 10 minutes, turning frequently.

 

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The delicate flavour of the leek substitutes for onion without overpowering the corn – a perfect combination.

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The addition of the concentrated chicken broth gives this side all the salt that it needs without overpowering the main ingredients.

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Lastly the addition of the cream. Allow the cream to boil until you get the creamy consistency that you desire. YUMMY!

If you want to enjoy this with a weekday meal you can approach it one of two ways;

  • Make it ahead of time,  store it in the refrigerator and reheat. If it’s become too thick, simply add a little cream to restore it to the creaminess you desire.
  • Prep your ingredients the night before. This includes barbecuing and cutting off the kernels of corn, cutting up the bacon and slicing the leeks. This will leave you with only cooking the ingredients together, requiring about 30 minutes of time.

If you’re making this to accompany a weekend barbecue, simply make it a couple of hours ahead of your meal and keep it covered on the stove, off the heat. Then when the rest of your meal is close to ready simply reheat for a few minutes and you have a wonderful side for your barbecue!