It’s a great time of year to be a little corny!

AT THIS TIME OF year our family cannot get enough corn. I am always reminded of the corn my dad grew when I was young, and that memory always puts a big smile on my face. “Big Jim” was a tasty corn large in size but still tender and sweet. He did take a lot on and as a team we picked and removed the stalks from the field by hand – no big tractors for us.

The corn roast has long been a part of our family celebrations, a fun way to get everyone together with a simple menu and not a lot of stress. You really can’t complicate corn too much but I thought some flavoured butters might be a fun way to dress up the typical dish.

The concept of flavoured butters is only bound by your creativity. If you are making butters for a large group, I would suggest whipping a pound of butter and dividing it into three to make a trio of flavoured butters.

Happy cooking!

Flavoured butters

1 lb. whipped salted butter Divide the butter into 3 smaller bowls

Roasted shallot and garlic

1 small shallot 3 cloves garlic 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley Salt and pepper

Place one peeled shallot and garlic on a sheet of foil, season with olive oil, salt and pepper. Wrap in foil and place in oven at 350 for about 1 hour. Once at room temperature, chop the shallot and garlic. Mix into the 1/3 lb. of butter, season with salt and pepper and add the parsley.

Curried butter

1 Tbsp. curry 1 tsp. cumin 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 scallion, chopped finely 1 Tbsp. finely chopped sundried tomato

Toast the curry, cumin and ginger in a pan lightly on low until the curry starts to warm and release the oils. Allow to cool. Combine with the butter, scallions and sundried tomato.

To finish, get a mini-loaf pan and line it with plastic wrap. Press the plain butter into the pan with plastic wrap, cover the rectangle of butter over the top.

Do the same with the two other flavoured butters. Refrigerate until firm.

Unwrap the butters and place on a wooden board or ceramic tray, garnish with fresh herbs.

The corn can then be rolled in the butter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Never Enough Thyme Catering Inc. was created with one thought in mind ... to create more thyme! Enjoy our food shop, specialty cakes and catering. 83A Arthur St. S., Elmira. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.