It's Summer Fest 2010 And I'm Joining the Party with Caramelized Cream Corn

Sweet summer corn doesn't need much help. You don't even need to cook it, my nearly 2-year old loves biting off the raw kernels straight from the just-husked cobs. But if you do want to apply heat, you can't get a recipe much easier that this Caramelized Cream Corn. It's become quite a staple at our house. It's a snap to make, it's one of the select few foods the baby (toddler!) will reliably eat, and, oh yeah, and I love it, too.

So here's what you do: Slice the kernels off of 3 ears of corn and measure out how much you get (you should end up with somewhere between 1 and 2 cups). Then measure out half as much heavy cream (or a little less even). Put the corn and the cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Now go do something else in the kitchen (wash greens for tonight's salad?) and forget about the corn.

In about 5 minutes you'll smell something toasty and buttery and extremely tempting - that'll be the cream caramelizing in the pan. Go back to the stove. The liquid should be mostly gone and the corn should be tender. You'll notice a brown ring around the sides of the pan, that's the good stuff. Stir it into the corn. Notice that I don't use salt or herbs or spices. You can add them if you like but I like this as is, pure and naked and very, very corny.

And that's all there is to it! Small children will devour this. And their parents will, too.

We're teaming up with other food and garden bloggers to host Summer Fest 2010, a season-long garden party. Each week we'll feature favorite garden-to-table recipes and tips to help you enjoy the bounty, whether you're harvesting your own goodies or buying them fresh from the market. To join in, check out awaytogarden.com.

For more Summer Fest corn recipes, check out these links: