3400. ROASTED SWEET SUMMER CORN with MISO BUTTER, BACON and ROASTED ONIONS

serves four


2 heaping tablespoons shiro (white) miso
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 slices smoky bacon, cut crosswise into 1- to 1/2-inch-long batons (1 cup)
1 tablespoon grapeseed or other neutral oil
4 cups corn kernels (cut from 4 to 5 cobs)
heaping 1/4 cup roasted onions
1/2 cup ramen broth
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup sliced scallions (greens and whites)

Make the miso butter: Combine with the miso with the butter in a small bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until well mixed; the butter should be one color, not a streaky mess. Reserve until needed.

Heat at 10- to 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for a minute or so, until very warm. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it shrinks to about half its original size and browns but does not overly crisp, about 4 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and drain it on paper towels. Drain the bacon fat from the pan (reserve it for another use if you like) and return the pan to the stove.

Turn the heat to high and add the oil to the pan. When the oil smokes, add the corn to the pan. Saute, agitating the pan or stirring the corn with a spoon, until it turns bright yellow and just a few of the kernels start to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. (If the corn makes a popping noise like popcorn when it hits the pan, ease the heat back down to medium-high.)

Add the bacon and roasted onions to the pan and stir to combine. Add the broth, miso butter, a tiny pinch of salt, and 7 or 8 turns of black pepper. Glaze the corn with the butter and broth by tossing it in the pan or stirring until the butter has melted, the corn is glossy with the sauce, and there's no broth pooled in the bottom of the pan, just a minute or two.

Transfer the corn to serving bowls, scatter with the sliced scallions, and serve hot or warm.


bacon recipe source: Momofuku, by David Chang and Peter Meehan (NY: Clarkson Potters/Publishers, 2009)

2638. CORN SHOOTS with BACON and WHITE MISO BUTTER

serves 2-3 as a side

1 tablespoon white miso paste

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

4 slices bacon, chopped vertically into thin batons

1 jalapeno, chopped fine (seeds and ribs removed if you don’t like spicy)

2 green onions (white and green parts), sliced thin

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped fine

2 cups corn shoots, roughly chopped

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the white miso paste and the butter until well blended. Set aside. Add the chopped bacon to a medium, heavy saute pan. Cook over medium heat until the bacon is crispy and has rendered most of its fat. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the chopped jalapeno, and cook and stir for 1-2 minutes, until the jalapeno pieces have just started to soften. Add the green onion slices and the garlic, and cook and stir for 1-2 minutes more. Add the corn shoots, and cook and stir for 1 minute more. Add the miso butter and a grinding of black pepper, and toss to coat. Taste and correct for salt. Serve immediately.

bacon recipe courtesy of: Megan, Brooklyn Farmhouse, April 21, 2009

1378. CORN with BACON and MISO BUTTER

serves four to six


1/4 lb thick-sliced bacon (about 3 slices; preferably Benton's bacon)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon white miso (fermented soy bean paste)
1 small onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
10 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (6 to 7 cups)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions (2 to 3)

Cut bacon crosswise into 1/8-inch strips. Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer bacon with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, leaving fat in skillet. While bacon cooks, stir together butter and miso in a small bowl. Cook onion in bacon fat over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Add corn and pepper and increase heat to moderatley high, then cook, stirring constantly, until some of kernels are pale golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add water and butter mixture and cook, stirring, until corn is tender and coated with miso butter, about 4 minutes. Stir in bacon, 1/4 cup scallions, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve sprinkled with remaining 1/4 cup scallions.


courtesy of: David Chang, Momofuku, 163 First Avenue, New York, New York 10003 | Gourmet, October 2006