Photo: Claire Lower
This summer did not go how I wanted it to go. A broken fridge (and oppressive summer heat) makes it hard to keep fresh produce in the house, and traveling (and even more oppressive summer heat) makes it hard to keep the garden in good shape. All of this resulted in me eating far less sweet corn than I usually do, which means I haven’t published a single corn hack all summer, and I am deeply ashamed.
But I’m getting one in just under the wire: You should grab those last few ears of sweet summer corn at your local market, and scatter those beautiful yellow kernels in your pancakes.
Corn pancakes work for many reasons. Corn can be sweet or savory, which means you can douse these hotcakes in maple syrup just as you would with standard pancakes, or dollop on a savory whipped cream or goat cheese, or use them as a base for a Benedict. Corn is also very good with butter, as are pancakes, so you can see why I’m excited about these corn pancakes.
Adding fresh sweet corn to your pancakes is not hard. Make your favorite pancake batter however you usually make it, making sure to keep it a little lumpy. Melt a tablespoon or so of butter in the pan, and let it heat until it is just starting to brown. Ladle in some batter, then slice some kernels off a cob and sprinkle them in, raw, the same way you would blueberries (once bubbles start to form in the batter, right before flipping).
The browned butter will create a delicious, savory crust around the edge of the pancake, while the corn will warm ever so slightly, just enough so it no longer reads as “raw.” It’s a delightful summery breakfast. Try it with whipped goat cheese and sliced tomatoes. Try it with maple syrup. Try it with hot honey and bacon. Just try it before corn season is completely over.
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