The Ears Have It

Corn is a fleeting thing. Like tomatoes and other produce that are heavenly in season and only passable out, fresh corn is awaited each year with great anticipation.

My dad taught me how to plant corn when I was 5. I’d follow him down the rows of our farm garden in Kentucky, popping a handful of seeds into each hill. We had enough farmland then for long rows of stalks that glistened in the summer sun. You could almost smell the sweet kernels ripening.

One of the joys of summer is picking sweet corn off the stalk, running into the house where the pot of water is already at a rolling boil and sitting down to eat minutes later.

Fresh corn retains much of its flavor when scraped off the cob, then frozen in self-sealing bags in small quantities. Whenever the garden is lean, I buy a bushel of July corn at the farm stand down the road and spend a few hours preparing bags of kernels for fall baking.

When given a choice of corn varieties, I choose white. Although it’s hard to beat an ear of yellow corn right out of the field, white is often sweeter and turns less starchy when it sits a few days before being used.

SUMMER CORN MUFFINS (30 minutes or less)

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup fresh corn kernels

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1 cup plain nonfat yogurt

1/4 cup oil

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons honey

1 egg, lightly beaten

Stir together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Mix together corn, red bell pepper, yogurt, oil, molasses, honey and egg in another bowl. Combine corn mixture with dry ingredients, stirring just until blended.

Spoon batter into 12 paper-lined muffin cups. Bake at 400 degrees until lightly browned and springy when touched, about 15 minutes.

12 muffins. Each muffin:

131 calories; 141 mg sodium; 18 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams protein; 0.15 gram fiber.

INDIAN PUDDING (Low-fat cooking)

1 1/4 cups fresh corn kernels

1 cup nonfat milk

2 tablespoons molasses

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons cornmeal

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

Dash salt

1 teaspoon canola oil

Vegetable cooking spray

Bring corn, milk, molasses and honey to simmer in saucepan over medium heat. Simmer 2 minutes. Stir in cornmeal, cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, salt and oil. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Spray 4 (6-ounce) custard cups with vegetable cooking spray and place in square baking pan. Spoon mixture into custard cups. Fill baking pan halfway with hot water and cover with foil. Bake at 325 degrees until set, 40 to 50 minutes.

4 servings. Each serving:

149 calories; 107 mg sodium; 1 mg cholesterol; 2 grams fat; 31 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams protein; 0.36 gram fiber.

CORN-BUTTERMILK PANCAKES (30 minutes or less)

2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 tablespoon oil

2 tablespoons honey

1 egg

1 cup flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup fresh corn kernels

These sweet-savory pancakes are best with grilled foods or for breakfast with maple syrup.

Process buttermilk, oil, honey and egg in blender until well-combined.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg in medium bowl. Stir in buttermilk mixture. Stir in corn.

Heat nonstick griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Pour 1/4 cup mixture per pancake onto griddle and cook until golden on both sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Keep pancakes warm on oven-proof plate in 200-degree oven while cooking remaining pancakes.

4 servings. Each serving:

226 calories; 422 mg sodium; 55 mg cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 0.27 grams fiber.