It’s wasn’t until my mid-twenties that I realized it was possible to season corn. I thought the only thing you could do with corn was put butter on it. Then, on Christmas my cousins were visiting and they wanted to watch the hilarious and ridiculous movie Nacho Libre. The movie is about a monk who secretly moonlights as a wrestler and sometimes when he and his sidekick are about town they eat a seasoned Mexican corn on the cob. That movie has stuck with me in many ways, and one of them is that corn doesn’t have to be plain. 

Corn on the cob is one of those great tastes of summer. It’s August though, so summer is starting to wind down and I’ve been thinking about what foods I want to have (or over indulge on) before the season is over. Corn was definitely one of them. I associate corn on the cob with meals outside – either a crab feast at my parent’s house or outside on a patio at the beach.

I think about coming home from a day out in the sun, shucking the fresh corn and no matter how careful you are strands of silk always get on the floor. Then, when it’s time for dinner and you take just one cob to start with. As the sun starts to set, everyone is full and happy. There’s a glow from the sunset and a glow from eating and drinking a bit too much and you pick at the leftovers. And then you do it, go for just one more corn on the cob. Because why not? Soon corn will be out of season and you’ll have to wait for summer again. And now I really want to go the beach and have a feast outside.

In the summertime I love grilled corn because you can get those caramelized burnt kernels that are a little crispy and taste sweet and bitter at the same time. I don’t have access to a grill though, so I had to try something different. The whole aim of this corn experiment was to season the corn, so I definitely couldn’t boil it if I wasn’t herbs to stick to the corn. So, I decided to roast the corn.

Of course, roasting means that I then have to turn the oven on. And turning on the oven makes the whole apartment hot – but that just adds to the authentic summertime feel right? But, roasting them you can get a little bit of that caramelized flavor during cooking. There won’t be any char, but I did have some areas where the kernels got darker and sweeter.

Now classic butter is a great addition to corn on the cob. It served me well for nearly 25 years. But this recipe takes butter and amps it up a notch. Spicy cilantro lime corn on the cob might sound like it’s doing a lot – but it’s a great combination. The taste is fresh and bright from the citrus and herbs but with a nice tingly cayenne pepper heat that lingers on your lips. The flavor is bold but not at all overpowering so it’s easy to pair with other foods. And of course, there’s still loads of butter.

Most importantly, this corn is so easy to make. All you do is mix the seasonings into the butter, slather the butter onto the corn, and then roast the corn. It’s easy people! It elevates the basic recipe for corn on the cob to something a little bit more special, and something great to serve to family and friends. So make some corn, get outside, and enjoy these last few weeks of summer.

Adapted from Food Network.

Messy level: You aren’t going to have to do many dishes with this recipe. However, I found that actually making this recipe can be quite messy. I think it’s easier to mix the butter and seasonings with your hands and then also use your hands to slather it on the corn. For me, that makes the seasoned butter more uniform and allows you to completely and lavishly cover the corn. Few dishes, but greasy hands. It’s a trade off.

Spicy Cilantro Lime Corn on the Cob

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Serves: 6 servings

Ingredients

• aluminium foil
• 6 ears of corn
• 1 stick/113 grams of butter
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C.
2. Rip off six sheets of aluminium foil. Make sure each sheet is large enough to wrap up an ear of corn. [Note: You can do this step later, but it's best to do it early so you can put the buttered corn directly onto the foil and not anywhere else]
3. Remove husks and silk from ears of corn.
4. In a small bowl, using your hands or a fork, mix together the butter, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice, salt, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Mix until everything is uniformly blended.
5. Divide the butter in 6 equal pieces. It will be about 1⅓ tablespoons for each piece of corn. Slather each ear of corn generously with the butter mixture.
6. Wrap each cob individually with aluminium foil.
7. Place on a baking sheet. Leave at least 2 inches in between each cob. If you crowd the cobs it will take longer to cook.
8. Bake the cobs in the oven for 30 minutes. The corn will be hot and steaming!
9. Remove from the aluminium foil and let cool slightly. If you'd like more flavor, sprinkle a little extra cilantro, zest, cayenne, or salt on top of the corn - whatever will please your palette!

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Guys, today I have a lovely salsa recipe as well as a little gush about Saltedtv.com. I’ve become kind of obsessed with Salted. Basically it is an online cooking school with hundreds of videos presented by 75 professional chefs (some of whom I’ve even heard of before). And it’s where I got today’s recipe for pico de gallo. Since joining a week ago, I’ve spent practically every break during work watching videos and they have everything. Everything I need to know and everything I didn’t know I wanted to know. 

The first video I watched was about how to make an omelette. An omelette is one of those things that seems easy but takes secret finesse and practice. After watching the video I went home and made omelettes for dinner. They didn’t come out perfectly, as I broke them taking them out of the pan – but they were perfectly yellow and fluffy which is something I haven’t done before. Usually, my omelettes get over cooked and browned on the outside. So see, I’m learning, which is exciting.

There are also courses on simple things like coring an apple, trendy things like using a spiralizer (which I both scorn and covet), and difficult things like how to stuff chicken wings. You can search videos by ingredient, chef, type of dish, and my favorite – mood. If you are feeling adventurous, romantic, or playful you can search for that!

Finally, in addition to one-off videos they also have courses with videos that go together. They have introduction courses and courses specific to a cuisine or holiday. I watched a course on grilled cheese, which may sound silly but my mind was blown. I had never thought of putting cheese outside the sandwich too. There are a bunch of other reasons I like this site, but I don’t need to go on and on. In short, I think Salted is totally brilliant. If you’re intrigued and curious about joining, consider doing so through the links in this post or the image in the side bar. I would great appreciate it because if you do join through those avenues, I’ll get a small commission for referring you. Oh and also, if you join you’ll get one month free and then after that it’s just $9.99 per month.

Ok, no enough of that and now on to pico de gallo. The other day Ryan and I watched Jamie Oliver’s TED talk and it got us thinking about healthy snacks and lunches. We talked about it a bit and decided we should try to incorporate more healthy, easy, vegetable heavy-recipes into the blog and into our diets. So, that evening as I laid in bed, I brainstormed recipe ideas and thought of salsa. Sure, not a whole meal but it’s easy, healthy, and vegetable based. About ten minutes later when I was 80% asleep Ryan came to bed and said, “I think you should make salsa.” From my groggy state I said, “I was just thinking that.” To which, Ryan said something surprised and confused because I was basically asleep so how could I be thinking about salsa? But, I liked that we were in sync so I was definitely going to make salsa. 

I went online to Salted and found a video tutorial for pico de gallo. Not only did I learn how to make this dish, but I learned an interesting fact. Pico de gallo means “rooster’s beak.” Originally people ate this with their hands using a pinching scooping movement that looked like a beak.

Anyway, I love this kind of salsa because it’s so simple but wonderfully delicious. I love the big chunks of vegetables, the crunch from the onions, the heat from the jalapenos, and just the overall bright flavor from using fresh vegetables. The salty mushy tomato gunk that’s in most jarred salsa can’t hold up to freshly made pico de gallo. Ryan and I had this with taco salad for dinner and plain with chips for snack. While I was cooking I put a little bowl out for snacking and Ryan said, “I’m so happy! This is delicious!” I’m not sure if there is higher praise. Also, this is the easiest thing ever to make. All you have to do is chop and stir. So, what are you waiting for? Go make this right now. Seriously, I’ve made it twice in 24 hours and it’s nearly all gone.

Messy level: This is even neater than a one spoon recipe. All you have to do is chop and mix. Practically no mess and everything can go in the dishwasher afterward. It’s hassle-free and sure to be a crowd pleaser. What is better than that?

Pico de Gallo

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

 

Serves: 2-4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 plum tomatoes, ¼ inch chop
• ½ red onion, diced
• 2 jalapenos, seeded (optional) and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup of chopped cilantro leaves
• juice of ½ lime
• salt, to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl mix together the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and half of the jalapenos.
2. Once all of that is well mixed add the cilantro and lime, gently stir together.
3. Taste. Do you want it spicier? Add the rest of the jalapenos.
4. Taste. Do you want a little more zip? Add some salt, about ¼-1/2 teaspoon should be fine.
5. Stir so everything is well mixed.
6. Serve as a garnish or with chips as a salsa.

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I have been craving mussels for weeks. It started when we were in Paris and I saw people eating a bowl full of mussels outside of a charming cafe. It continued after I was in Greenwich and we went out for fish and chips and I saw a server bring mussels to a nearby table. Every time I saw them they looked so good, but for some reason I wasn’t eating them! Why wasn’t I eating mussels?!

So, I took matters into my own hands and decided to make mussels at home. When Ryan and I lived in Arlington, VA we used to like a place called Fatty Shorty’s (it no longer exists). We would get green curry mussels with bread and sausages slathered with mustard and topped with onions. Although the place didn’t last long, we thought it was delicious and those mussels were the inspiration for making this recipe. 

Making mussels at home is something that sounds a bit scary, and I think that’s because there are so many rules associated with mussels. When you buy them, you want to remove any that are chipped or already open. You want to clean them to get the silt out. And you need to remove the beards, but in a certain way so you don’t prematurely kill it. Then, once they are cooked you don’t want to eat any that haven’t opened. See, so many rules?!

But in fact, mussels are really simple to clean and prepare, quick to make, and delicious to eat. The longest part, and it’s hardly strenuous, is making a flavorful and complex broth that you’ll use to steam the mussels. Then, once you put the mussels in to steam, it takes just minutes (2-6 minutes). It’s glorious and quick. And then you can slurp up all that broth using a spoon or the empty mussel shells. In fact, my number one recommendation for making mussels at home is that you also buy a nice baguette so you can use the bread to sop up the amazing broth you worked so hard to create. I was silly and forgot nice bread so Ryan and I had to use hot dog buns.

Also, if you like mussels but fear making them at home, here’s one last plug: I bought 1 kilogram of mussels for £4 from my local fish monger. Yeah I went to a fish monger and not the grocery store, I’m cool like that. When you go out to eat, a bowl full of mussels can be pretty expensive and I’m always left wanting more. Make these at home and you’ll have enough mussels for 4 people for under £10. Can’t get much better than that.

Cleaning process learned from Smitten Kitchen Cookbook. Recipe adapted from Serious Eats.

Messy level: Slightly messy largely because of the cleaning process. Otherwise, all you have to do is a little cutting and everything else is cooked in one large pot.

Coconut Curry Mussels

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

30 mins

 

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 2 pounds mussels
• 8 sprigs cilantro, leaves and stems separated
• 4 garlic cloves, divided
• 2 small thinly sliced shallots, divided
• ½ teaspoon whole coriander seeds
• ½ teaspoon chili flakes
• zest from 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• salt
• 1 15oz can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon Thai green curry paste
• 1 stalk of lemon grass, cut in 1" pieces
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 serrano chili, thinly sliced (optional)

Instructions

1. Remove any mussels that are cracked or already opened. Put the remaining mussels in a large bowl and cover with cold water. Let it sit for 10 minutes. This is done to clean them.
2. Spoon out the mussels. Don't pour them out otherwise the silty water will just go back on to the clean mussels.
3. Remove the beards from the mussels. Do this by pulling the beard toward the hinge. More info can be found here. Ok, now your mussels are ready to cook!
4. In a food processor combine the cilantro stems, 2 garlic cloves, 1 shallot, chili flakes, lime zest and a pinch of salt. Pulse until everything is finely chopped and combined.
5. Scoop 2 tablespoons of coconut milk into a large pot. Add the vegetable oil. Heat over medium heat until very hot.
6. Add the remaining garlic, remaining shallots, green curry paste, lemongrass, and everything from the food processor to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally for 4-5 minutes. It should start smelling nice.
7. Add the remaining coconut milk, sugar, and fish sauce to the pot. Turn the heat up a bit and bring to a simmer. Let it simmer for 3-5 minutes. Taste and season as desired.
8. Add the mussels to the pot. Give them a stir and cover. Cook for 3-6 minutes or until all the mussels are open.
9. Once the mussels are cooked, stir in the cilantro leaves, lime juice, and serrano chili.
10. Serve with bread and eat immediately

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This past week Ryan has been in South Africa for work. He’s been busy working, but not too busy to send me photos of him hanging out by the pool in 80°/27° weather. Needless to say, I’ve been jealous.

So yesterday, Ryan was having an awesome day. I won’t tell you any more about that because I’m saving it for later. Anyway… I was at home in very rainy London doing chores. Not nearly as exciting as South Africa, but to toot my own horn, I dominated those chores. I did everything on my list, which hardly ever happens. I trudged to the super market in my wellies, I did all the laundry, I cleaned the bathroom, I snaked the drain, and I vacuumed. After all that productivity, I wanted a treat to make myself feel like I was on vacation in a warm and sunny place. 

When I think warm and sunny, I think cold drinks and lots of fruit. I wanted this to be pure fun and delicious, and not secretly healthy. (You know how I like to sneak veggies into drinks, but this isn’t one of those times) For whatever reason, I have limes on the brain so I bought a bag at the store. I then thought about what to go with it – because lime alone is too tart. I thought of strawberries, which are my favorite fruit. I went to the frozen aisle to pick some up, because fresh strawberries in February are gross, but the store was out of frozen! They did have frozen raspberries, and I thought, “yeah that’ll work.”

To add a little more depth to the flavors, I used coconut water. You can of course replace the coconut water with regular water, but I think the coconut adds a nice hint of nutty flavor. Besides, coconut water can make you feel fancy since it’s so popular right now. And, it’s a good source of potassium, so that’s good too.

The limes, raspberries, and coconut water all together are nice, but pretty tart. I added a healthy amount of agave nectar to balance the tartness and add some sweetness. I choose agave over honey because it’s a little runnier and I think mixes in more smoothly. But, mostly, I choose it because I was going for hot weather foods and the agave plant comes from the dessert.

Add a little white rum, and you’d have a delicious beach side cocktail. I left it as a virgin slushy, and enjoyed it as a rainy afternoon treat.

Messy level: One spoon. Blended drinks are the easiest thing to clean up – even though cleaning the blender can be really annoying.

Raspberry Limeade Slushy

 

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Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 5 limes, plus one more for garnish
• 2 cups frozen raspberries
• 1½ cups coconut water
• ¼ cup light agave nectar
• white rum, optional

Instructions

1. Juice the limes, and add the juice to a blender.
2. Add the raspberries, coconut water, and agave to the blender.
3. Blend until smooth.
4. Taste and adjust as you see fit.
5. If you're using the rum, add it to the blender a little bit at a time. Blend, then taste, and adjust.
6. Serve with a straw and lime wedge.

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The reason it’s perfect is because of the balance of tart and sweet. I think it mirrors the opposite ways people feel about this holiday. Some people are very anti-Valentine’s Day and some people love all the decorations, chocolates, and flowers. I’m lucky that Ryan is so accommodating because I both dislike and want to celebrate Valentine’s Day, all at the same time. Yes, I think going out to a fancy dinner is an important thing for couples to do, but why do I have to go out when it’s going to be crowded with an over priced prix fixe menu? So he took me out last week to a place I really really wanted to go, even though it was in Bethesda. And he buys me flowers because even though I don’t want fancy plans, I want pretty red roses that make me feel girly. So, I want it both ways and that’s why citrus squares are perfect.

This dessert isn’t heart shaped, but it is a little pink. It’s sweet, but it’s not chocolate. And it’s tart enough to fly in the face of a traditional Valentine’s Day. Use two forks to make it a romantic treat.

This recipe is adapted from Sweetly Serendipity. You want 1 cup total of citrus juice. You might not get exactly 1/2 cup from 3 blood oranges, or 1/4 cup from one lime, but use a combination of lemons, limes, and oranges and you’ll get enough a juice.

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

6 large eggs
2 cups granulated sugar (you can add up to 1 cup more if you like it really sweet)
3-4 blood oranges (zest from 3 oranges, and squeeze 1/2 cup of juice)
1 lemon (zest and 1/4 cup of juice)
1-2 lime (zest from 1 lime and 1/4 cup of juice)
1 cup all-purpose flour
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

2. Start with the crust. Using the paddle attachment on an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. I like to do it for about 2 minutes.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour and salt. Then slowly add the flour mixture to the butter. Combine until just mixed.

4. Flour your hands and gather the dough into a rough ball. Place in the center of a 9×13″ baking pan. Use your hands to press the dough into the bottom of the hand. Keep flouring your hands as the dough begins to stick to you.

5. Put in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. Use these 20 minutes to zest and juice your oranges, lemon, and limes. You’ll end up with tri-color zest and some gorgeous dark pink juice.

6. Bake the crust for 15-20 minuets, until it is very lightly browned. Take out and let cool for 5 minutes before adding the filling.

7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, zest, juice, and flour. Whisk until it is fully combined.

8. Pour the filling over the crust. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set. My oven runs hot so the filling was set in 25 minutes.

9. Let cool to room temperature and then sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

Messy level: The messiest part of this recipe is preparing the zest and the juice. I had zest, juice, and seeds everywhere. Part of the reason was that I didn’t give myself enough space to work and I knocked something over, which then hit my little juice, which then spilled everywhere. But it’s also dirty because my hands were covered in sticky juice and the fruit oils. My hands also turned orange from working with so much citrus. The good part though, was the whole apartment ended up smelling like fruit.

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But an extra special note of thanks goes to Ryan. He is my chief supporter, taste tester, strategic planner, and dish washer. He suggests recipes to try and ways to improve old favorites. He eats everything I make, even when I don’t think it has come out well. If I didn’t have him to help me out, this would be a lot less fun. Therefore, it’s only fair that my 50th post celebrates Ryan and his key lime birthday pie.

Strictly speaking, this pie is just a lime pie because I didn’t use key limes. There weren’t key limes in my grocery store, but if you find some in yours and decide to use, them just keep the same proportions for juice and zest as I have below.

Anyway, Ryan’s birthday was this past week and I made him a key lime pie. Before his birthday I asked what kind of cake he wanted, and he was a little ambivalent. “Well,” I said, “it doesn’t have to be a cake. It could be pie.” And he decided he wanted key lime pie. I had made key lime popsicles over the summer, and we’ve been drawn to the flavors ever since. You may remember from my birthday, that I had cake for breakfast and that’s a really important tradition to me… but, I knew that if the pie was in the house the day before his birthday, we wouldn’t be able to stop ourselves from eating it early. However, in the spirit of indulgence, we did eat our first pieces before going out to dinner.

I cut Ryan a slice, and as he sat down he got a phone call from his dad. He was on the phone when he took his first bite, and I was delighted to see his eyes get big with excitement and he nodded his head vigorously at me. “You’re missing out on some great pie,” he said to his dad. Yes, I had nailed the birthday pie! We both ate it with gusto. It was tart with a distinct lime flavor you don’t often get from store bought pies. It was the right amount of tart though, not sour at all. The filling was also sweet with a creamy custard texture. The meringue was fluffy and the crumbly graham cracker crust add a great crunch to an otherwise soft dessert. A few days later, when Ryan finished the very last bite, he promptly said, “you should make another.” So this pie is a keeper.

When I made this, I prepped the juice, zest, and other various ingredients as I went, and as other things were in the oven. The directions below will follow that pattern. If you’re more comfortable, feel free to prep all your ingredients in the beginning.

The crust is adapted from Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything. The filling is adapted from the Amateur Gourmet.

Ingredients:

Crust-

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 10 full cracker strips)

3 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp unsalted butter (plus more if needed)

Filling-

6 egg yolks

One 14oz can of sweetened condensed milk

2 tsp lime zest

3/4 cup lime juice (about 6)

Meringue-

1 cup sugar

6 egg whites

1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a food processor, blend the graham crackers until you have fine crumbs.

3. In a medium bowl mix the graham crackers and sugar.

4. Melt the butter in the microwave, then add it to the graham cracker and sugar. Mix until the graham cracker crumbs are all moistened. You want a consistency of slightly wet sand – sand that’s been wet but is drying out. Add more butter if needed. I added another 1.5 tbsp to get this consistency, so I used a total of 5.5 tbsp on butter.

5. Press the graham cracker crust into your pie plate – bottom, sides and edges. If you want a thick crust use all the mix. I used about 3/4 of the mixture. If you’re not using all of it, set the remainder aside in case you need to do any patchwork later (When I added the meringue I knocked off some of the crust’s edge and I was mad at myself that I hadn’t saved any)

6. Put the crust in the oven and bake until it just begins to brown, about 8 minutes.

7.  While the crust is baking, zest and juice your limes.

8. Remove crust from the oven, set aside to cool.

9. Now for the filling! Separate 6 eggs. Set aside the whites. In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks.

10. Stir in the condensed milk. Stir constantly until well mixed.

11. Stir in the lime juice and zest.

12. Pour the filling into the crust. Bake for 12-15 minute. The filling is ready when it’s firm but a little jiggly in the middle. (I like to think of it similar to the consistency of jello)

13. While the filling is baking, beat the eggs until foamy. Then gradually add the sugar and cream of tartar. Beat until the egg whites make soft peaks. What this means, is that when you take the whisk out of the egg whites, there will be a somewhat floppy peak at the top of the whisk. Look at the pictures on Amateur Gourmet’s website for a better idea.

14. Take the pie out of the oven. Spread the meringue over the pie. Bake for 5 minutes, or until the meringue takes on a light toasty marshmallow color.

15. Let cool a little, then refrigerate. Serve chilled. The crumbly crust doesn’t hold its shape perfectly, but who cares when it tastes good?

Messy Level: I’m giving this, the elusive 5 spoons. This is a super messy recipe because the mess continues well after you’re done cooking. It’s messy in part because zesting and juicing means using a number of tools. It’s also messy because the meringue is sticky and I got it all over me while I spread it on the pie. But the real reason it’s messy is because of the crust. It’s messy making the crumbs and putting it in the pie plate. But, it’s messy every single time you cut a slice. There was always crust crumbs on the counter after ever slice. It’s worth it, but it’s the mess that keeps on coming.

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