Sweet golden kernels, roasted until tender and bursting with summer goodness!
With it’s natural sweetness, eaten straight off the cob or tossed into a fresh salad, corn is most commonly thought of as a vegetable. But it’s also a grain and a member of the grass family. Both sides of my family grew corn. My Mom’s family raised it for produce and often sold it by bushel baskets to people passing by their farm. My Dad’s family grew fields of corn with the primary purpose of feeding cattle. Through the years I’ve picked and shucked many an ear! At some point during the growing season Dad would bring a large load from the fields into town and my parents would have a corn roast. Dad would dig a shallow pit, spread the corn still in the husks over hot coals and roast the ears until tender and full of flavor.
It’s a question I’m asked a lot – “how do you cook fresh corn?” There are so many ways to prepare corn but roasting is by far our favorite method and it is ridiculously easy. Roasting brings out the true flavor in a way that boiling doesn’t always do.
To roast corn you want ears fully encased in their husk. Many markets trim the husks off the corn for more “showy” packaging on the shelves – so just ask the produce manager if you don’t see it. Look for husks that are fresh and green with silk that is still golden in color close to the ear of corn. The end of the silk will be dark which is fine. And you want ears of corn that feel plump.
In this recipe I roasted six ears of corn, which will yield you about four cups of kernels – perfect for our corn bisque, corn chowder, or our Pasta with Roasted Corn Sauce. But roast as few as one or as many ears as you’d like!
And if you want to trim the kernels from the cob, here’s my favorite method. Simply lay the cob flat on a cutting board and using a sharp knife cut the corn off the cob – after the first cut the cob lies perfectly flat. Finish by scraping down the corners to remove all the remnants! It’s easy and far less messy!
So in lieu of digging a pit in your backyard, here’s a much simpler method to reach the golden sweetness of summer!
Roasted Corn
6* ears fresh corn, still in the husks
For serving: melted butter, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oven to 350-degrees. With kitchen shears or a sharp knife trim the “silk” off the end of the ears along with any loose pieces of the husk and trim the base if needed.
Wash the outer husk thoroughly.
Place the ears of corn directly on the racks in a 350-degree oven.
Roast for 30 minutes. As soon as the corn is cool enough to handle grab the top of the husks with the silk, pulling down to remove.
If you want to trim the corn off the cob, place the cob flat on a sturdy cutting board. Using a sharp knife cut along one side, slicing the corn from the cob. Turn the cob and continue cutting to remove all the kernels. Finish by scraping the knife across the edges of the cob to capture any remaining pieces and milk from the corn.
*You can roast as few as 1 or as many ears of corn as you need.
Roasted Corn
Ingredients
- 6* ears fresh corn, still in the husks
- For serving: melted butter, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350-degrees.
- With kitchen shears or a sharp knife trim the “silk” off the end of the ears along with any loose pieces of the husk and trim the base if needed.
- Wash the husk thoroughly.
- Place the ears of corn directly on the baking rack in the oven.
- Roast for 30 minutes.
- As soon as the corn is cool enough to handle grab the top of the husks with the silk, pulling down to remove.
- If you want to trim the corn off the cob, place the cob flat on a sturdy cutting board. Using a sharp knife cut along one side, slicing the corn from the cob. Turn the cob and continue cutting to remove all the kernels. Finish by scraping the knife across the edges of the cob to capture any remaining pieces and milk from the corn.
