Sweet Corn Maque Choux Recipes

CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Heat bacon grease or butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet, cast iron is best.
• Add onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.
• Add corn, diced tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Check for seasoning and add salt if needed. Discard bay leaf.

SHRIMP AND SWEET CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot, red and green peppers, and green onion. Season with salt and pepper, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes.
• Add zucchini, sweet corn, water and 2 teaspoons Cajun or creole seasoning to the skillet. Cook until zucchini is tender, about 2 minutes. Add half and half, and stir. Turn off heat.
• Meanwhile, season shrimp with remaining 2 teaspoons Cajun or creole seasoning. Melt butter in a separate skillet and cook shrimp in four batches, about 2 minutes on each side, or until curled, pink and cooked all the way through. Do not overcook.
• Divide corn mixture between four plates. Top each plate with 5 cooked shrimp, and serve immediately.

MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Working with 1 corn cob at a time, set the ear of corn upright in a medium bowl. Shave the corn from the cob by slicing down the sides using the tip of a sharp chef's knife, holding the knife almost vertical. (This gives you neat tablets of corn that land squarely in the bowl and keeps the kernels from scattering all over the counter.) Using the back of the knife, scrape each cob to release all the nibs and the "milk" of the kernels into the bowl. Repeat with remaining ears of corn, then snap the cobs in half, and add them to the bowl.
• In a large, deep sauté pan, melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat until foaming. Add onion and celery, and season with 1 or 2 pinches of kosher salt. Stir constantly until softened and translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes.
• Add 2 tablespoons butter and the bell pepper, poblano and serrano, and stir constantly, adding another pinch of kosher salt, letting the butter melt and the peppers soften and become translucent, about 2 or 3 minutes. You will smell the peppers' sweetness and their mild capsaicin releasing.
• Add the final 3 tablespoons butter and the corn mixture from the bowl, cobs included, and another pinch of kosher salt. Stir constantly to coat with the butter and combine thoroughly.
• When everything starts to hiss and sound hot, but isn't cooking so hard as to take color, add 1/2 cup water and a healthy few grinds of black pepper, and cover the pan for a couple of minutes to steam/shallow braise the mixture.
• Remove the lid, and stir well, noticing the corn releasing its liquid and the kernels softening, and the cobs turning somewhat translucent, if however vague. You will notice a general softening and melding together. Return the lid, and let cook a few more minutes, noticing the water evaporating and the remaining liquid reducing and gaining some "body" and gloss. Discard the corn cobs, but do suck them before tossing - those buttery juices make a nice cook's treat.
• Taste for salt, and serve. It should be sweet, spicy, a bit wet and surprisingly complex, given the few ingredients and their ordinariness. If you want a smoky taste, add a good pinch of smoked paprika.

CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until crisp, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain, then coarsely chop.
• Add onion to drippings in pot and cook until softened and golden in places, 8 to 10 minutes. (Add oil to prevent onion from burning, if needed.) Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add butter, corn, and scallions and cook, stirring occasionally, until corn is crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Return bacon to pot, add broth and milk, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until most of liquid has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in tomato and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or at room temperature.

CAJUN CORN AND BACON MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Cut corn off the cobs by thinly slicing across the tops of the kernels; place in a medium bowl. Cut across the kernels again to release milk from the corn, add milk to bowl. Set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and green pepper, cook until onion is transparent, about 5 to 8 minutes. Combine corn, tomatoes, and milk with the onion mixture. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook 20 minutes longer, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Do not boil. Season with salt and cayenne pepper. Lower heat, cover skillet, and cook 5 to 10 minutes longer. Stir in green onions and bacon. Remove from heat and serve.

SHRIMP MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large straight-sided skillet or wide, shallow pot over medium-high heat. Add scallion white and light-green parts, onion, peppers, celery, and thyme; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring a few times, until vegetables are crisp-tender and golden in places, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in corn kernels and milk, then vermouth; boil until liquid has mostly evaporated, about 1 minute. Stir in stock, cream, and shrimp. Bring to a simmer (but do not let boil), reducing heat as necessary, and cook until shrimp are opaque and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Discard thyme sprigs, stir in dark-green scallion tops, and serve.

SUNNY'S SWEET QUICK KENNER MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• In a large pan with straight sides, add the bacon and cook over medium heat, rendering the fat until crispy, about 8 minutes. Add the onions, celery, bell pepper, butter and salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, until the veggies are tender, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes, garlic, corn and chicken stock. Stir and bring to a low simmer, then cook until everything is tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the yogurt and a generous amount of black pepper, more salt and cayenne pepper.
• Transfer to a platter and serve.

CAJUN CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• 1. Cut the kernels off of the corn into a large bowl. Using the back of the knife, scrape the sweet corn milk from the cobs to extract about 3 tablespoons and add it to the bowl. Set aside.
• 2. Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until the fat renders and the bacon is crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and set aside. Add the butter to the skillet and when melted, add the celery, bell peppers and onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes. Add the milk, scallion whites, garlic, tomatoes and corn. Cook until thickened, 10 minutes.
• 3. Serve garnished with the scallion greens and reserved bacon.

CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add bell pepper; sauté until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add corn; sauté 2 minutes. Add cream, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce. Simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Mix in green onion, parsley, and basil. Season to taste with coarse salt, pepper, and more hot pepper sauce, if desired.

MAQUE CHOUX CORN

Steps:

• Shuck the corn.
• Working with one cob at a time hold over a bowl and cut away the kernels in layers (you don't want to end up with whole kernels).
• Scrape the knife down the cob to "milk" it.
• Heat the butter in a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot over medium-high heat then add the onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes.
• Sauté until onions are transparent (about 15 minutes).
• Stir in the salt and pepper then add the corn and the milk (from the cobs) and stir well.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook until the corn is tender (20-30 minutes).
• If mixture begins to dry out before corn is tender, add a little milk and butter.
• Notes: Sometimes I add some andouille or smoked pork sausage or tasso just to give it a change of taste.

CORN MAQUE CHOUX

Steps:

• Shuck the corn and remove all of the silk.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the corn off the ears into a large bowl. Set aside.
• Cut bacon into 1-inch pieces. Fry in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly, until crisp, being careful not to overcook.
• Remove bacon from skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Add the onions and red bell peppers to the skillet with the bacon drippings and sauté until the onions are translucent.
• Add the garlic and corn and sauté, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes.
• Season to taste with salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a dash of sugar.
• Pour in the cream and bring to a boil.
• Immediately reduce heat and simmer until cream reduces and thickens slightly, about 5 minutes more.
• Crumble the bacon and stir into the corn.
• Serve immediately.