Allison Cafe

There are few things that can compare to fresh eats from the garden. As a kid I can remember summers spent in Ohio, and the simple splendor of fresh Ohio sweet corn. I can vividly remember the taste of the juicy, sweet kernels. Oh how I miss that taste! This time of year when the corn is fresh and very tasty, I don’t recommend doing much at all the corn, it has so much flavor of its own. But sometimes, you can find yourself either seeking a new flavor when you’ve eaten a lot of the season’s crop, or you unfortunately picked a not so flavorful ear of corn to bring home. In those instances, I highly recommend experimenting with flavored butters. Below are few that we tried recently, the chili butter is simply amazing. But again, only when it needs a new, added flavor. The other fun thing about flavored butters, they can be enjoyed on their own as a spread, such as with fresh bread. The roasted garlic is even wonderful spread onto a piece of french bread, no butter needed. Enjoy!

Grilled Corn on the Cob

Heat an outdoor grill to high. Peel back the husks of corn, but do not remove them completely. Remove all silk from the ears of corn and coat lightly corn with cooking spray. Smooth husks back into place and rub each husk with water. Place corn directly on grill surface and grill, turning occasionally, until kernels soften and husks blacken. About 10 to 12 minutes. Pull back husks and serve corn with 1 teaspoon flavored butter.

Tip: you may wish to brush the corn on the cob with the flavored chili butter in order to apply evenly to the corn.

Garlic Butter

Ingredients

• 1 garlic bulb
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel away the outer layers of the garlic bulb skin, leaving the skins of the individual cloves intact. Cut off 1/4 to a 1/2 inch of the top of cloves. Place the garlic bulb in a small baking pan; clay bakers work well for this purpose. Drizzle olive oil over each head, using your fingers to make sure the garlic head is well coated. Cover with aluminum foil, or if using a clay baker with a lid – place the lid on the baker. Bake at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the cloves feel soft when pressed.

Allow the garlic to cool slightly. Use a small small knife cut the skin slightly around each clove. Use a fork or your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins. Eat as is atop fresh bread, or mash with a fork and mix with 2 tablespoons of softened butter to make garlic butter. Serve warm.

Chili Butter:

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon sweet chili powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon red cayenne pepper powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Using a spoon, mix butter with remaining ingredients. Roll into a log shape and wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper. Or simply place in a small serving dish and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm, then soften to room temperature before serving. Can be made ahead of time.

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