Last weekend when we were in the vicinity for a baby shower, friends told us of an awesome corn stand on 23 Mile near Mound Road. We picked up a ton of stuff, actually – juicy tomatoes, crunchy and colorful bell peppers, juicy pears, a couple sweet little cantaloupes, and a pot of fresh basil which is still growing on our windowsill. But the fresh sweet corn in bunches of twelve was really the raison d’etre.
Only trouble is, we don’t have a grill at the moment. How do you enjoy sweet corn-on-the-cob if you can’t grill it?
Turns out there’s a decent way to cook it in the oven. Soaking the corn in a bucket of water for a couple hours (after removing the silks) becomes ever more important, as the corn will otherwise dry out during the long cooking time. Just before baking, I rubbed a pat of cold salted butter across the kernels, and tied the remaining husk at the tips to keep the butter in. Then I roasted the corn at 350° for about 45 minutes, which is longer than most of the Internet advice seems to suggest, but necessary. The husks should be starting to brown, as in the upper right of the picture below.
Isn’t it beautiful? I think I’ve found one of the treasures of living in the Midwest.
Update (thanks Rob): Garrison Keillor agrees with me, and has actually written said ode.