Grilled sweet corn brushed with huitlacoche puree, garnished with grated cotija cheese and hot pepper makes for a striking take on a classic dish.
Makes at least 8 ears of corn
1small jalapenoseeded and diced ¼ inch (add some seeds if you want it extra spicy)
pinch dried epazote, or a couple fresh leaves, chopped optional
½teaspoonground cuminor to taste
4tablespoonsunsalted buttercooking oil can be substituted but isn't as nice
Hot wateras needed to make a thick puree, a splash
Elotes
8Ears of fresh sweet corn
5ozgrated cotija cheese
Fresh chopped cilantroto garnish, optional
Limes wedgesfor serving
Hot chili powder and or hot sauceto garnish, see note
Instructions
Huitlacoche puree
Sweat (do not brown) the onion, jalapeno and garlic in the butter on medium-high until translucent a few minutes, then add the huitlacoche, epazote and cumin and cook until wilted, about 10 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a food processor and puree until as smooth as possible, drizzling in a little water as needed to make a velvety puree (I use a highspeed Vitamix blender here, but I recognize many people don’t have one, if you do, or if you have a similar one like a ninja, do use it for the smoothest, silkiest puree.)
If you add too much water and the mixture is loose, it’s no big deal, transfer it to a pan and bake at 325 for 30 minutes or so, whisking occasionally to dry it out, then reserve. Keep the puree warm. The most important part is that the puree is smooth enough to slather on an ear of corn.
Transfer the puree to a bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste. The puree should be very rich, possibly slightly bitter, almost too rich to eat by itself—don’t worry, slathered over piping hot sweet corn it will be good.
Elotes
Cut the stems off the corn to leave an inch or so to make them easy to tie after roasting.
Roast (or grill) the corn in it’s green husk at 400 for 15 minutes, or until hot throughout, then remove the husk and tie (this is purely cosmetic, you can just cut it off and put the cobs on a skewer to make them easier to hold if you don’t feel like the presentation).
Assembling and serving
Using a brush, liberally slather each ear of corn on every side with the huitlacoche puree, then generously sprinkle the cheese over the top, garnish with a dusting of chili powder and fresh cilantro, and serve with the lime wedges on the side.
Notes
The Freshness of Huitlacoche Most people think of corn smut as a black, powdery, unpleasant looking pestilence. To be very clear here, powdery, soft, mushy, or otherwise unappetizing huitlacoche is past prime, and should not be used. You are looking for firm, grey kernals here, they should look fresh and...appetizing. Chili powder You want a chili powder that is spicy here. Cayenne is a little hot all by itself for me as a sprinkle, but you could mix it 50/50 with toasted ground gaujillos or anchos for a substitute. Other dried chilis, like aleppo, can also work.