Farm Fresh Corn And Dandelion Cakes With Melting Herbed Goat Cheese Recipes

DANDELION FRITTERS

Steps:

• When picking dandelions, pinch blossoms off from top of stems. Fill a medium bowl with 4 cups of cool water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and lemon juice. Place dandelions in the bowl and push them down into the water several times to clean them. Drain dandelions upside down on paper towels.
• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and chile powder. Add thyme, and mix well. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and milk. Pour egg mixture into flour and stir until well combined to form a batter.
• Pour 1 inch of oil into a 9-inch cast-iron skillet. Heat oil to 375 degrees. Gently dip each flower into batter. Carefully place in hot oil; do not crowd. Fry until golden, about 2 minutes, turn, and fry 1 more minute if necessary. Drain on paper towels. Salt lightly. Serve hot as hors d'oeuvres or a side dish.

PARMESAN-BASIL CORN CAKES

Steps:

• Cut the kernels off the corn. Pulse half the corn with the egg in a food processor; transfer to a medium bowl. Mix in the remaining corn, the flour, parmesan, basil, cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Coat a large skillet with oil and heat over medium heat. Cook spoonfuls until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side.

BUTTERMILK CHEDDAR CORN CAKES

Steps:

• Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a mixing bowl.
• Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Set aside to cool slightly while you prepare the wet ingredients.
• Whisk together the egg and buttermilk in a large mixing bowl. While whisking, pour in the melted butter and stir until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients just until combined. (Be sure not to overwork the batter.) Fold in the Cheddar, corn, if using, and chives.
• Place the skillet over medium heat and add enough butter to coat the bottom. Ladle about 1/2 cup batter into the pan, spreading gently to form a thick circle. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip over and cook until golden brown, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Melt a small pat of butter in the skillet in between each batch (this will help the corn cakes rise). Serve immediately, with more butter and maple syrup, if desired.

FRESH CORN CAKES

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a small bowl, beat egg yolks; blend in milk and butter. Add to dry ingredients; stir until just mixed. (Batter may be slightly lumpy). , Stir in the corn, green onions, red pepper and green chilies; set aside. , In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into batter. , For each pancake, pour about 1/4 cup batter onto a lightly greased hot griddle; turn when bubbles form on tops of cakes. Cook second side until golden brown. Serve immediately with syrup if desired.

MINI CORN CAKES WITH GOAT CHEESE AND PEPPER JELLY

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, oil, and butter until smooth and combined. Add milk mixture to flour mixture, and stir just until batter is combined; fold in corn kernels.
• Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and rub with enough oil to coat surface. Drop batter by the tablespoon to make 2-inch cakes. Cook until underside is golden brown, 45 to 60 seconds; turn over, and continue cooking until other side is browned and cake is heated through, about 1 minute. To serve, top each cake with a slice of goat cheese and a dollop of pepper jelly.

HERBED GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Find a small, wide-mouth canning jar or small glass vase (3 1/2 inches in diameter by 4 inches high), just large enough to hold the two goat cheeses on top of each other with a little room to spare. Cut each cheese in half horizontally, making 2 rounds from each. (A piece of dental floss makes this easier.)
• Place half of the first disk flat in the jar, sprinkle with salt and pepper, then with 1/2 teaspoon dill, 1 teaspoon basil, and a few red pepper flakes, and drizzle with 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Place another disk of cheese on top and repeat the seasonings, herbs, and oil. Continue with the remaining cheese disks, piling one on top of the other with oil and seasonings in between. When all the disks are stacked and seasoned, drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil on top. Cover and set aside at room temperature for one hour or refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Serve at room temperature with bread or crackers for people to help themselves.

CORN CAKES TOPPED WITH GOAT CHEESE AND BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels and drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons drippings from skillet. Add 1 tablespoon oil to drippings in skillet. Add corn and onion; sauté over medium heat until onion is golden, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Combine buttermilk, egg and 1/4 cup goat cheese in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add cornmeal, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cayenne and mix well. Stir in corn mixture. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, drop batter by generous tablespoonfuls into skillet. Cook until bottom of each corn cake is brown, about 1 minute. Turn corn cakes and cook until second side is brown, about 1 minute. Transfer to baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil to skillet as needed. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Let corn cakes and bacon stand at room temperature. Before serving, rewarm cakes on baking sheet in 400°F oven until heated through, about 5 minutes.)
• Arrange corn cakes on platter. Top each with generous 1/2 teaspoon goat cheese. Sprinkle with bacon and green onions and serve.

CORN SALAD WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Soak 1 small sliced shallot in ice water. Whisk 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 teaspoon honey and 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large bowl. Add the kernels from 4 ears of corn and season with salt; toss and let sit, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain the shallot and pat dry, then add to the corn along with 2 cups baby arugula and 1/4 cup sliced basil; toss. Season with salt and pepper and top with crumbled goat cheese.