Corn a la Michael Jordan’s
Tonight for dinner I grilled salmon, basic seasoning (salt, pepper, some cajun stuff, and olive oil). But for the side dish of corn, I wanted to try to get closer to a favourite restaurant side - Michael Jordan's Corn Off The Cob. This can be enjoyed at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut and I assume New York City (Michael Jordan's in Grand Central Terminal).
The Michael Jordan dish is served piping hot in a cast iron skillet. I don't have a cast iron skillet, but I have managed to make some really good corn-off-the-cob in the past.
My previous attempts have varied. Typically I take spices that I find in the cupboard and canned corn (frozen works in a pinch too), add butter and nuke it. I am a microwave newbie really, so I've cooked my corn in the frying pan too. The pan makes the flavour a lot better, sort of like grilled corn. It has a hint of that popcorn taste from the higher temperatures.
But the Michael Jordan corn has the extra bit of flavour from chili and onion. I think the restaurant also cooks theirs ON-THE-COB and cuts it off. I didn't have time to grill corn on the cob outside (despite grilling my fish for dinner), so I improvised with good results.
You will need:
- 1 can of corn
1/4 cup of chili powder (I prefer the Mexican style stuff)
3-4 fresh chilis
1x of onion powder
1x of paprika
1x of garlic powder
1x of cumin
1x of oregano
4T of butter
salt and pepper
** 1x = Unknown quantity, more than 1tsp.
First, I tore the chilies up with my fingers and heated them over medium-high heat in the 8" pan. I poured myself a cocktail and put the spices in a blender (I don't have a mixer). Don't blend yet.
When my cocktail was half way, I dumped the cooked chilies into the blender and flipped the switch. While the spices were blending with the chilies, I melted butter in a Pyrex 1-cup measuring cup. I also cleaned my frying pan to use for the corn. Mix the dried spices into the measuring cup. I didn't bother to try to get everything from the mixer into the butter. Stir the butter and put aside. Don't rub your eyes like I did tonight, chili burns!
I took a chunk of butter and the strained can of corn, and cooked it in the pan on medium heat.
After about 10 minutes of cooking, I poured the chili butter sauce into the cooking corn and cranked the heat up a bit. You know you're doing it right because it should already smell good.
At this point I was also chatting with a friend that stopped by and was cooking the salmon on the grill outside. It's hard to overcook the corn, but it is possible so take it off the heat if you need to delay.
Serve with a glass of gewürztraminer.