Maque Choux Cajun Recipes

Steps:

• Cut corn off the cobs by thinly slicing across the tops of the kernels; place in a medium bowl. Cut across the kernels again to release milk from the corn, add milk to bowl. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and green pepper, cook until onion is transparent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Combine corn, tomatoes, and milk with the onion mixture. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook 20 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Do not boil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Lower heat, cover skillet, and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer. Stir in green onions and bacon. Remove from heat and serve.

Steps:

• Prepare a grill for medium heat. Shuck the corn, being sure to remove all the silk. Season the ears with some olive oil, salt and black pepper. Grill, rotating the ears regularly, so as to char but not scorch, 10 to 15 minutes. Reserve.
• Dice the Tasso into approximately 1-centimeter cubes. Heat a large, heavy Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the Tasso with a little bit of canola oil and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until evenly browned, about 15 minutes. Remove and reserve, leaving any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.
• Add a little more canola oil to the Dutch oven. Add the garlic, celery, jalapenos, onions and bell pepper and sautee until the onions are sweated, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Add the wine and simmer, scraping up the bits from the bottom of the pan, until all the wine has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves, thyme, red pepper flakes, 1 tablespoon paprika, 2 teaspoons cayenne, 2 teaspoons chili powder and some salt and black pepper. Stir.
• Using a knife, cut the kernels off the corn cobs, then milk the cobs using the back of the knife. Add the corn to the Dutch oven. Reserve about 50 pieces of Tasso, then add the rest to the Dutch oven. Add the heavy cream and butter, stir and bring to a simmer. Cook the mixture until thickened with a slight creamed corn consistency, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
• Combine 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons paprika, 1 teaspoon cayenne and 1 teaspoon chili powder in a small bowl. Toss the shrimp with 1/4 cup olive oil on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the shrimp on both sides with the spice rub. Grill the shrimp over medium heat until pink and slightly charred, but not overcooked, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
• To serve: Place 1 tablespoon of corn maque choux in an Asian soup spoon. Top with a grilled shrimp and a piece of the reserved Tasso. Garnish with some green onion. Repeat with the remaining maque choux, shrimp and Tasso.

Steps:

• 1. Cut the kernels off of the corn into a large bowl. Using the back of the knife, scrape the sweet corn milk from the cobs to extract about 3 tablespoons and add it to the bowl. Set aside.
• 2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Add the butter to the skillet and when melted, add the celery, bell peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the milk, scallion whites, garlic, tomatoes and corn. Cook until thickened, 10 minutes.
• 3. Serve garnished with the scallion greens and reserved bacon.

Steps:

• Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook it until it is browned up and crispy, approximately 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon, with a slotted spoon, to a paper towel lined plate so it can drain.
• Add butter and onions to the pot and cook until soft, approximately 5 minutes. Add the Creole seasoning and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Increase the heat to med-high and then add the okra, bay leaf, thyme, black pepper and cayenne. Stir to combine. Cook, stirring frequently, until the okra is crisp tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring once and a while. Add the tomatoes and cook for 2 more minutes. Last, add the salt and reserved bacon, stir to combine and serve!

Steps:

• Working with 1 corn cob at a time, set the ear of corn upright in a medium bowl. Shave the corn from the cob by slicing down the sides using the tip of a sharp chef's knife, holding the knife almost vertical. (This gives you neat tablets of corn that land squarely in the bowl and keeps the kernels from scattering all over the counter.) Using the back of the knife, scrape each cob to release all the nibs and the "milk" of the kernels into the bowl. Repeat with remaining ears of corn, then snap the cobs in half, and add them to the bowl.
• In a large, deep sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and celery, and season with 1 or 2 pinches of kosher salt. Stir constantly until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons butter and the bell pepper, poblano and serrano, and stir constantly, adding another pinch of kosher salt, letting the butter melt and the peppers soften and become translucent, about 2 or 3 minutes. You will smell the peppers' sweetness and their mild capsaicin releasing.
• Add the final 3 tablespoons butter and the corn mixture from the bowl, cobs included, and another pinch of kosher salt. Stir constantly to coat with the butter and combine thoroughly.
• When everything starts to hiss and sound hot, but isn't cooking so hard as to take color, add 1/2 cup water and a healthy few grinds of black pepper, and cover the pan for a couple of minutes to steam/shallow braise the mixture.
• Remove the lid, and stir well, noticing the corn releasing its liquid and the kernels softening, and the cobs turning somewhat translucent, if however vague. You will notice a general softening and melding together. Return the lid, and let cook a few more minutes, noticing the water evaporating and the remaining liquid reducing and gaining some "body" and gloss. Discard the corn cobs, but do suck them before tossing - those buttery juices make a nice cook's treat.
• Taste for salt, and serve. It should be sweet, spicy, a bit wet and surprisingly complex, given the few ingredients and their ordinariness. If you want a smoky taste, add a good pinch of smoked paprika.