Sweet Simplicity

In life, often the sweetest things are the simple ones.  Such it was last night at our dinner table.  I made an “homage” to fried chicken (Honey-Mustard Pecan “Fried” Chicken) with a loaf of homemade bread and creamed corn.   Yes, I said it, creamed corn.  Stop making that face!  It was nothing like the pasty corn goo that comes out of a can, that I’m pretty certain my kids could use for their craft projects instead of rubber cement.  It was delightful and sweetly simple.

I have tender spot in my heart for white corn.  I find it sweeter and softer on the palate than yellow corn, especially when I’m forced to use frozen corn (which, let’s admit it, is most of the time up here in the Great White North).  So, I threw a one pound bag of white corn, with a pat of butter (or 4) into my favorite sauté pan and turned the heat up to medium.  For me, roasting the corn in the pan is the only way to go.  The carmelization of all the sugars in the corn make for an unparalleled depth of flavor.  So while the corn roasted, I seasoned it with salt and pepper and just the slightest amount of sugar and waited.  When the edges were brown and delectable looking, I grabbed the heavy whipping cream from my fridge and drizzled it around the pan, maybe a handful of tablespoons or so, until every kernel was lightly coated.  I liken the next step to deglazing the pan, stirring the corn around and getting all the good bits off the bottom of the pan so the carmelized corn flavor mingles with the sweetness of the cream.  And that’s it.  That’s my version of creamed corn, it’s really just that easy.  And it’s heavenly.

When my Grandparents and their 3 boys first moved North, they lived in someone’s converted garage.  My Dad and his brothers shared a bed in the closet and my Grandparents slept in the main room, the only room, the “everything” room.  But I can imagine that when they smelled the combination of sweet corn and cream wafting out of the little windows, they knew that they were in for a treat, a heartening, soul satisfying combination of sweet corn and cream.  For that moment, and many spent around the family table, the size of their home didn’t matter anymore.  They were together, sharing moments, filling their bellies and learning that the best things in life are the simple ones.