This variation of Mexico’s popular street food elote (roasted corn on the cob) uses freshly-ground chili powder, pastured butter, lime, sea salt and homemade crema Mexicana with toasted cumin and cilantro..
For the Chile Powder (all amounts may be adjusted according to taste)
2 ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and split
2 arbol chiles, stemmed, seeded and split
1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon granulated onion
1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
3 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon cacao powder
Toast the chiles on a dry comal over medium heat until fragrant, about 45 seconds per side. Take care not to let the chiles burn, or they will be bitter.
Once cooled, add the chiles and the rest of the ingredients to a food processor and pulse into a fine powder. Store in an airtight container up to 3 months.
For the Cumin Crema
1/2 cup fresh heavy cream
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons cumin seeds
1/3 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro
Toast the cumin in a dry skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Allow to cool, then crush in a mortar or spice grinder and set aside. Freshly-toasted cumin tastes nothing like that jar of powdered stuff that’s been in the back of your cabinet for 2 years..
Using an instant read thermometer, warm the cream on the stove to 98 degrees then remove from heat, cover and allow to stand overnight at room temperature. Transfer the now somewhat thickened cream to the refrigerator and chill 4 or more hours. Stir in cumin, salt, cilantro and lime 20 minutes before serving.
For the Corn
Pull back the husks and remove the silk. Put the husks back in place and tie closed with kitchen string. Plunge into a pot of lightly-salted boiling water, cover and parboil 5 minutes. Transfer the corn to a wood-fired grill and cook turning often until tender, about10-15 minutes depending on size, etc.
Peel back the husks and slather the corn with butter, chili powder and crema. Use the husks as a handle to eat the corn popsicle-style, offering cotija cheese and lime wedges on the side if desired.
This post is part of the Nourishing Gourmet’s Pennywise Platter Thursday!