By By Robert St. John / food columnist
July 10, 2002
Most of the time the little things in life give us the most joy.
Eight years ago I was given a small plastic letter opener. I would be devastated if I ever lost it. My wife once bought me an inexpensive sunglass holder that attaches to the visor in my car. It made my week.
It's not the money. It's not even the thought or gesture. Its the utilitarian value of these little things that makes them so special. They are items that you usually wouldn't purchase for yourself, but once you get them you don't know how you got along without them, or how anyone could.
So goes the story of the corn scraper.
The other day my friend, and one of the best cooks I know, Barbara Jane Foote, gave me a corn scraper. I had always coveted hers and when she ran across one in a local hardware store (the last one on the shelf) she bought it for me.
A corn scraper (sometimes called a corn grater) is a God-send if you like creamed corn. There is not another tool in existence that makes a creamier creamed corn. The instructions on the package say it creams, shreds and scrapes. But creaming corn is where the Lee's Corn Scraper is, hands-down, an invaluable kitchen tool. If you are putting up corn, especially a lot of corn, a corn scraper will cut hours off your shucking time.
I had never run across a corn scraper in a store. I don't know if I was shopping in the wrong places or not looking close enough. But the Lee's Manufacturing Co. Web site, http://www.leemfgco.com, says there are 3 million in use, so they can't be too hard to find.
The three basic types of corn are: traditional, sugar-enhanced and super-sweet. Some of the modern varieties of super-sweet corn are too sweet. Normal sweet corn has 5 percent to 10 percent sugar content. Super-sweet corn can be up to 30 percent sugar. Regular sweet corn is sweet enough. A bushel of it can produce enough high fructose corn syrup to sweeten 324 cans of cola.
Silver Queen is a white hybrid sugar-enhanced sweet corn that has the perfect balance between traditional corn flavor and sweetness. Silver Queen is the absolute best corn for creamed corn, corn pudding and fried corn. Yellow, non-sweet corn is best for corn-on-the-cob and corn salad.
For any recipe that uses whole kernel corn, I scrape the ear with a knife. For my creamed corn recipe, I put Barbara Janes' trusty corn scraper to work on half the ears and scrape the other half in the traditional manner.
Always buy fresh corn in the husk, preferably just after it has been picked. Once corn has been picked its natural sugars begin to turn into starch immediately. Silver Queen will last up to three days after picking in the refrigerator, but why wait? I can eat Silver Queen raw-off-of-the-stalk in the garden.
When choosing corn, the husk should be closed and the stem should be green and moist. Silk is essential to the corns fertilization and there should be a lot of golden-brown silk coming out of the corn. Perfectly ripe corn will have plump kernels with no spaces between the rows.
When a kernel is pricked with a fingernail, the juice should run milky. Under ripe corn will have small kernels, spaces between the rows and juice that runs clear when pricked with a fingernail. Overripe corn will have withered kernels and no juice.
The flavors and aromas of Southern foods during summertime make the heat and humidity worth the hassle.
Alabama peaches are here. The Georgia and local peaches are coming. Blueberries are being picked. Watermelons are at their peak. And the Silver Queen corn is ready for creaming. Thanks to Barbara Jane Foote and the Lee's Corn Scraper, I'll be shucking with ease.
Deep South Creamed Corn
6 ears fresh Silver Queen corn, shucked
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup quick corn stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoons Crescent City Grill Creole Seasoning
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
To make quick corn stock: Take two shucked corn cobs and break them in half. Place the cobs in a small pot with 2 cups of cold water. Bring water to a boil and lower heat to medium. Cook for 30 minutes. Strain liquid and set 1/3 cup of corn stock aside for recipe.
If you own a corn scraper set for creamed corn, shuck three ears into a bowl. Next, shuck the remaining three ears with a knife keeping whole kernels intact and scrape the cob to release all milk (if you do not own a corn scraper shuck all eight ears with a knife). Combine corn kernels (and their milk), butter and quick corn stock in a heavy saucepan.
Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally for approximately 10-12 minutes. Combine heavy cream, cornstarch and Creole seasoning in a small bowl and whisk thoroughly making sure cornstarch is dissolved.
Add cream mixture to corn and stir well. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5-7 minutes stirring often. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serves 6