Saturday, August 18, 2007

Summer Latkes

We visited Kruger's Farm and came home with a dozen ears of freshly picked corn. I love corn on the cob as much as anyone, but when I saw those heaped up ears of corn all I could think of was corn fritters or summer latkes.

I'm starting to think my children will eat anything if it's called a latke. We eat piles of potato latkes during Chanukah, of course, but I've tucked all kinds of things into a savory pancakes, called them latkes, and watched them disappear. So while the more common name is corn fritters, we called them summer latkes and called them good: fresh corn, scallions, and finely minced bell pepper (all right, I admit, I lied and told The Picky Ones the red bits were tomato which is acceptable whereas bell pepper is, for some reason, an abomination) all held together in a light batter and served with salsa and sour cream alongside a leafy green salad.

An impulse purchase at the farm stand made this process one hundred times easier. If you find one of these for under $5 just go ahead and buy it already and save yourself from a bloody corn-related knife disaster. I am impossibly clumsy in the kitchen and it's a wonder I still have all my fingers, so anything that decreases the likelihood of losing a digit is fine with me, especially if it actually works well which this marvelous little item does.

If you come across some freshly picked corn in the coming weeks, give these a try. The recipe is here.

2 comments:

Nicole said...

Anyone who knows me well will tell you that corn fritters are among my favorite dishes. My parents would make them several times a year, and always to my great delight. It's no wonder they've evolved into one of my prized comfort foods. Though this recipe differs from the one I know, it looks scrumptious in its own right. I won't rest until I try it. That means it will be on this week's menu! Thank you. I'll let you know how it goes.

Anonymous said...

I finally got to try these with corn we picked up on apple picking day at GM Farms on Sauvie. Though corn is on it's way out, we nabbed a few delicious ears with these in mind. I modified it slightly by roasting the red pepper and serving it on the side along with the sour cream, salsa and chopped fresh chives. They were amazing! The whole family loved eating them and I will absolutely put these in the "repeat often" file. I beat the egg whites to soft peaks with good results but wondered what you do as the recipe doesn't specify? I really love reading your blog(s) and look forward to trying more recipes! In fact, it's becoming posole weather, no?! Cheers!