Grilled Corn with Herb Butter

Ha Ha! The Barista herself scooped me!! I was gallivanting around New Jersey this weekend and found some beautiful corn myself! It has been superb at the farmer’s market this season and the ears I picked up on Saturday were also just wonderful.
I adore grilled corn. It’s wonderful just lightly steamed or boiled but that smoky grill heat makes the corn taste like candy. Getting that little bit of carmelization on the kernels really intensifies all the corn sweetness.
Try this recipe with any and all of your favorite herbs and spices!
Ingredients
As many ears of corn as will fit on your grill
2 sticks of unsalted butter
2 Tbs. fresh herbs, minced – like thyme, oregano, dill,
Italian parsley etc. You can mix your favorites too!
Salt & pepper to taste
Method
Carefully pull the husks back on the corn and remove the silk
Pull the husks back up over the corn and soak in cool water while you’re preparing the herbed butter
Take the butter – which should be at room temperature and slightly softened and put it in the bowl of a food processor and pulse a couple of times to break it up
Add the herbs and pulse till they’re well incorporated
Scoop the butter mixture into a small bowl and refrigerate for a couple of minutes.
Remove the ears of corn from their water bath & dry them with paper towels
At this point you can either pull the husks back – brush with a little of the butter – close them up again and lay them directly on the grill or you can wait to butter your corn till after you grill it. Either way it’s delicious. I like the way the herbs really get into the corn if you brush it on first though.
Grill the corn for approximately 30-40 minutes in their husks and when they’re done pull the husks back and tie them together. The husks become a convenient little handle so you can start munching immediately!
Feel free to add your favorite herbs and spices to the butter. Sometimes I like to add some cilantro and cayenne pepper for a southwestern kick or basil and garlic for a Mediterranean flavor. The combinations are endless. Use a little salt and pepper to add the final season just before you eat it.
Cat Morris