Making fresh corn taste sweeter....a neat kitchen trick

Since I was asked to write several little Easter and Mother's Day brunch articles for McCormick, I've been wanting to mention this little trick, but it was not really a recipe I would serve for brunch, so I decided that at the end of the series, I would add it as a little 'lagniape', that little something extra that you receive as a gift from gracious merchants in Louisiana and parts of Mississippi after you make a purchase.... 

So here is my little lagniape;

Sometime ago we took a cooking class in the kitchens of The Hawaiian Vanilla Co. just a few miles up the road from us....

Since then, I have been using a little trick we learned during the class to make fresh corn taste even sweeter...the trick is .......drum roll!....Vanilla!

Shuck and clean the corn and cut the kernels off the cob.  Saute them in a skillet with a pat or two of butter and a vanilla bean that has been split in two; scrape the seeds into the corn.  Salt & pepper to taste.

McCormick sells Madagascar Vanilla Beans.  Find them in the spice aisle of your favorite market.  If they don't carry them, request them!

If you don't have a vanilla bean, use a little bit of McComick's Vanilla Extract.  For the equivalent of about 5 ears of corn, use 1/4 teaspoon of the vanilla and stir to blend well.

 

That's it! 

 

Try it next time you make a fresh corn pudding...you won't believe how good it tastes!

 

Oh, by the way, if you do use a vanilla bean, rinse it and let it air dry and you can use it again by placing it in your sugar bowl or jar.  In just a few days, the sugar will absorb the vanilla flavor and aroma.