by Heather Johansen
The “Countdown to Cornfest 2012” is on! On August 25 & 26th, Kingsland will be throwing its Third Annual Corn Festival, which celebrates the arrival of the world famous Taber Corn to the market. The town of Taber, Alberta, receives large amount of sunshine, which in turn produces the sweetest, most flavourful corn around. These golden ears of corn are highly sought after when they arrive in the market late in the summer season!
Here’s a simple way to jazz up that delicious Taber corn: compound butter. Traditionally, a compound butter involves whipping ingredients like spices, herbs or other flavour enhancers into softened butter, then wrapping it in plastic or paper and chilling until solid. It’s a very simple way to add a personal touch to a basic ear of corn. Adding creamy butter enhances the flavour of the sweet corn for the ultimate late summer side dish.
So, make sure you visit by Kingsland’s on August 25th & 26th to sample some hot buttered Taber corn, music, farmers and fun…. And pick up some corn to bring home too!
Taber Corn on the Cob with Compound Butter
- 4 ears of corn
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¼ c parsley, finely minced
- 2 small shallots, minced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- Kosher salt and black pepper
For the butter:
Add a few teaspoons of butter to a small skillet and heat on medium. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté until lightly brown (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from skillet and allow to cool slightly.
Place the butter in a ceramic bowl and then add the shallots, garlic, parsley and paprika. Season with salt and pepper. Mix together using a spatula until combined.
Scoop the butter onto the centre of a piece of wax paper and roughly form it into a cylindrical shape. Roll the wax paper over the butter to create a tubular shape, then twist the ends of the paper (like taffy). Refrigerate the butter for a few hours until it has firmed up.
For the corn:
Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Remove and discard the husks and fibers from the corn, then carefully add them to the boiling water. Cook until the kernels are bright yellow (~ 5-8 minutes). Remove from water and allow to cool slightly.
To serve:
Sprinkle the corn with additional black pepper and kosher salt, then top it with a slice of compound butter. Allow it to melt and spread in between every little kernel.
Enjoy!
