Creamed Corn
A creamed corn recipe passed to my dad from his mother. It uses the 2-2-1 method with fresh corn, milk, butter, and a bit of flour. If you have two ears of corn give it a try, so simple and good!
This is my dad’s recipe for creamed corn. He loved it and had strong opinions about how it should be made. Basically, it needed to be exactly like his mother made it. Of course. I made notes the last time I cooked it for him. And if you have a few ears of corn this summer, it’s well worth making this oldie but goodie.
I’ll be honest, creamed corn was never part of my repertoire, but when I would cook it for my dad I'd end up saying to myself, “this is absolutely delicious.” Needs some chives, but yeah, sign me up. He would call it “2-2-1 creamed corn” and that was because you use 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 cup of milk before adding fresh corn kernels. That’s how he remembered the ratio.
My dad liked to go to Andy’s Orchard, close to his house. Arguably, the source of some of the best fruit in California. He was thrilled to buy peaches from the seconds bin at a discount. He’d pick up some ears of corn while he was out as well, and this defined peak summer for him. It also meant it was creamed corn season. The process to make it couldn’t be simpler, so let’s get into it.
Creamed Corn Ingredients
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- Fresh corn
- Salt
- Chives (my addition)
Variations
I’ll (mostly) resist the urge to fancy everything up by adding an endless list of ways to riff on creamed corn. My dad would likely argue the chives are already out of bounds. But there are a thousand different ways to have fun with this recipe. I can imagine a cacio e pepe version with dialed up black pepper and a shower of grated Parmesan. Or finish it with a swirl of pesto, or a few roasted cherry tomatoes. If you like some kick, think about all the ways to explore that - drizzle of chile oil, or a spoonful of chili crisp. Or work a bit of curry paste into the flour and milk at the beginning of the process. You get the idea.
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Creamed Corn
This is a recipe to cook when summer corn is perfect and sweet. Don’t be fooled by other recipes, no sugar is needed.
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cup milk
- 1-2 cups fresh corn kernels
- 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste
- chives, minced
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In a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and stir, stir, stir. Keep going for minutes until the mixture is fragrant and cohesive. I like to let it get a little toasty, but my dad never said anything about that lol. Whisk in a splash of the milk, add another splash, and then another, whisking all the while. Add the last of the milk and whisk to break up any bits of flour.
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Add the salt, add the corn, stir well, and slowly bring the mixture just UNDER a simmer. It should take 5-7 minutes or so. Stir, the creamy part will thicken nicely. Taste, adjust with more salt if you like, and serve topped with lots of chives.
Serves 4.
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Comments
Just so, so good! I made it in keeping with your dad’s style without accoutrements and it was amazing. Sweet, creamy, comforting. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Thanks for the note Helen – glad you enjoyed it!
Looks delicious.
Thank you for this! I will be bookmarking to make it when corn season reaches us. There’s a special place in my heart for recipes a parent/grandparent loved, it’s such a treasure to make a dish just the way they liked it. Full of good memories.
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