Hail to the Maize 'n' Blue ... Corn with Blue Cheese, That Is

I read Melissa Clark's article last week in The New York Times, which contained a recipe for a creamed corn dish that was deemed "much too good to share." She selfishly gorged on it herself, unable to control her glee at having created something so amazingly delicious.

Being a fan of fresh corn, Gorgonzola, cream, and all the other wonderfully rich, luscious ingredients required, how could I resist??? I forwarded the article to both Jeremy and Tom -- devotees of such goodies themselves -- and we determined that it must be made, and made soon.

So then Tom and I were at Arbor Farms (a health food grocery store), and found a display right by the front door of corn on the cob that had been grown just down the road in Whitmore Lake ... God was sending a message, telling me "Make the corn dish. Now." I'm often fairly obtuse when it comes to interpreting what God wants from me, but this communication was pretty clear!

I picked up some of the corn, and then proceeded to meander through the store looking for the rest of the ingredients. I knew the recipe had required cream, but I thought perhaps that decadent buttermilk from local mainstay Calder Dairy might be better. I bought some Amish blue cheese. I was ready.

Since I didn't bother to look up the recipe before I started cooking and was relying upon my increasingly-feeble memory (a.k.a.: "The Sieve That Is My Brain"), I didn't remember that I was supposed to serve the corn on sliced tomatoes ... and I had freshly picked tomatoes from my garden, too. I also didn't remember the toasted pine nuts, which I adore. And I forgot the basil, even though I have 3 plants of it in my backyard.

But you know what? The corn didn't need any of it. I'm sure it would have been lovely with these additions -- as well as with some crumbled bacon, rather than just bacon fat saved from previous indulgences -- but it was also virtually addictive without them.

Truth be told, Jeremy thought the corn tasted like soap ... whaddya gonna do??? Tom liked it very much, though, so all the more for both of us!

And oh, isn't this just the perfect Maize 'n' Blue -- ha! -- dish to serve at a University of Michigan tailgate here in Ann Arbor, land of renewed excitement about football with our #21 team??? Yeah!!!

Creamed Corn with Blue Cheese

3 ears fresh corn, uncooked
2 tablespoons bacon fat
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 ounces crumbled blue cheese

Cut corn from the ears. Melt the bacon fat in a large skillet.


Add the corn; saute for 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the corn is starting to turn golden brown. Add salt and pepper, and stir to mix.


Stir in the buttermilk and cook for 3 minutes until much -- but not all -- of the buttermilk is absorbed.


Stir in the cheese, stirring to break up lumps and make sure that the cheese melts.


When everything is creamy, it's ready to serve