MACARONI & CHEESE WITH SPRING ROASTED VEGETABLES

May 2, 2018 Plate Fete

It is my comfort food of choice. If I feel like eating a hug, which I often do after an arduous work day, nothing will satisfy like a bowl of macaroni and cheese. I am constantly experimenting with new combinations of cheeses, and I have shared a few favorites over the years. See Brie Macaroni and Cheese or Truffled Lobster Macaroni and Cheese.

The Bestest Grilled Sweet Corn with Sun-Dried Tomato Butter

May 13, 2016 Plate Fete

I do not think I have ever been so excited about a vegetable. Except maybe my grandmother's lima beans, they are pretty stupendous. But this corn, (insert the really, really happy emoji with the squinty eyes) is my new favorite Summer side dish. If I had to pick something to eat from now until September I'd ask for this corn and a bucket of steamed shrimp... Okay, maybe this pasta too; it's my favorite. And watermelon, but that is all.

Actually, I'd also like some hot dogs... I don't like this choosing game after all.

The Bestest Grilled Sweet Corn with Sun-Dried Tomato Butter {Pedantic Foodie}

The point I'm really failing to make here is that this corn is one of the best and easiest things you will make and eat this Summer. It's really, really, REALLY good.

Does that sound braggadocious? I always hesitate slightly before claiming that something my crazy, carb-driven brain came up with is great, because, well, I made it up. But, I will happily give all credit to the ingredients here. With extra special thanks going to corn.

Corn, you’re pretty and I like you because you are sweet and starchy, but still pass as a vegetable, and because we both have unruly hair (except mine could never be called "silk") that ends up all over the floor. Ew. Moving on.

Do you like puns? I really like corn puns. You would be surprised hominy I can come up with. Heehee.

This corn has two surprises, the first of which comes in the form of Old Bay. That pungent orange powder is essentially fairy dust for Summer foods.

The smell of Old Bay transports me to warm July afternoons spent shelling boiled shrimp and spraying them with “butter” that came out of a bottle. When I was four that was the coolest thing ever, but now, well… it’s still kind of cool but I’m far too sophisticated to admit it.

A generous dose of Old Bay is mixed with a bit of olive oil and then slathered onto fresh sweet corn.

I like to coat the corn before I place it on the grill, and then give it several more coats as it’s cooking. If the cob is orangey after you take your first bite, you will know that you did enough. It's science.

While the corn cooks, run inside the kitchen and make some sun-dried tomato butter. Oh yes, that is the second surprise.

I will warn you now that this butter is my new favorite thing and it will likely be popping up in A LOT of Summer recipes around here. I would apologize, but after you taste it you really won’t mind one little bit.

I bought the olive-oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe, and I found that I greatly prefer their flavor and texture to the dry ones. They also have that tomato-saturated oil which adds a little extra flavor to this savory butter.

Tomatoes, along with a little oil, butter, and kosher salt go into the food processor to spin around, forming a smooth, fluffy butter.

This lovely orange butter has a very rich tomato flavor that couples impeccably well with the Old Bay-suffused corn.

I’m really excited about this.

The Bestest Grilled Sweet Corn with Sun-Dried Tomato ButterThe Bestest Grilled Sweet Corn with Sun-Dried Tomato Butter {Pedantic Foodie}

I made this corn for Mother’s Day and my brother compared my mouth to a lawnmower after seeing how quickly I devoured these cobs of wonder. It was no time to be leisurely, the butter was melting off the sides.

This is, by far, my new favorite Summer side dish. I think I may love it even more than watermelon.

Now would likely be a good time to break out those floss picks.

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie

The Bestest Grilled Corn with Sun-Dried Tomato Butter

serves 4

for the butter

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil

- 2 teaspoons oil (taken from the jar of tomatoes)

- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Place butter in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse until smooth. Add sun-dried tomatoes, oil, and kosher salt and pulse until well combined.

Place the butter in a small dish and cover with plastic. Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes, or until just set, but not hard.*

While the butter is refrigerating, prepare the corn.

*The butter will remain in prime condition in the refrigerator for about a week. Or, you can wrap it in parchment paper and freeze for up to a month.

for the corn

- 4 ears fresh sweet corn

- 1.5 ounces extra virgin olive oil

- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

Set grill on high heat.

In a small bowl, whisk to combine olive oil and Old Bay seasoning. Use a basting brush to coat the corn evenly with the spice and oil mixture.

Place the corn directly onto the hot grill and cook, turning every few minutes, for 7-9 minutes, until the corn is slightly charred. Continue brushing the corn with the olive oil mixture as it cooks.

Once the corn has cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool just slightly before serving with prepared butter.

Serve with (very) generous helpings of sun-dried tomato butter. Enjoy!

Spring Onion Buttermilk Ranch Dip [ Farmer's Market Treasures ]

May 7, 2016 Plate Fete

Last Saturday morning presented me with two options; unproductively thinking about wedding things I cannot fix, or moseying down to the Farmer's Market. The choice was clear.

Spring Onion Buttermilk Ranch Dip {Pedantic Foodie}

Amidst the stalls of fresh goat cheese, local honey, and over-priced asparagus, these jewel-like globes immediately captured my gaze.

Papa, my maternal grandfather, taught me how to eat radishes - quickly, with unreserved crunching and an ample sprinkling of salt.

That is all.

While that simplistic and familiar option will always be satisfying, I am a very fickle lady, and this time, I really wanted something fresh and creamy, that would exquisitely accent my peppery red globes.

I also had a handful of spring onions that I simply could not resist, and they begged to be included in the fun.

And by fun, I mean buttermilk.

I get really, really excited about vegetables this time of year. I love coming home from the market with a straw bag filled to the brim, and bursting with more color than the hardware store's paint department.

Spring onions are a particular favorite of mine. Their resplendent ombre palette is almost as delicious as their subtle flavor.

Before preparing my dip, I trimmed and washed my radishes - those leaves tend to hold lots of sand and dirt that you certainly do not want to bite down on, and then I soaked them in cool, salted water for about thirty minutes.

Keeping the radishes cool, preserves their crisp, crunchy texture that my Papa and I so adore.

While the radishes chill in the refrigerator, we can prepare the dip.

Onions are sliced thin, and everything is swiftly dumped into that magic blender of all things delicious - the food processor.

You will likely want to use smaller, young garlic cloves in this recipe, since it will not be cooked at all. The larger cloves tend to be a bit spicier and can sometimes overwhelm the other flavors.

In about two minutes, we will have created a rich, creamy, onion-scented dressing, perfect for dipping.

While salt alone was always a good option, I think this may actually be a better one.

I think Papa would approve.

If you're a mama, I hope your weekend is filled with all kinds of pampering. If you are an offspring, then you better get your act together and buy some flowers. Dip is extra credit, cupcakes are even better.

Sincerely,

Pedantic Foodie