Jalapeno Corn Cakes with Avocado Radish Sa

Jalapeno Corn Cakes with Avocado Radish Salsa

from Plant Food Fabulous by Angelika

In the middle of summer, nothing is better than fresh corn. It is so sweet and succulent. I am a huge fan of fresh corn eaten, well any which way. The funny thing about corn, growing up in the midwest it was abundant, a real staple crop, right? Well my European grandparents were horrified that people actually ate corn, to them it was the stuff you fed your farm animals, absolutely not fit for human consumption. Clearly they had not gotten the memo, that corn had been upgraded and frankly is no better vessel for butter and salt. 

Today corn made its debut in a corn cake. Partly because the idea was calling me, and partly because Little Man will eat anything if you call it a pancake. So we have taken to eating a lot of vegetable based fritters and he is none the wiser. These corn cakes are really delicious, in an addictive way. As in, someone was actually eating the burned batch once all the other cakes were gone. (it was me!) They are light and fluffy, super moist and the perfect backdrop for sweet summer corn. The addition of jalapeno and cilantro really rounds out the flavor. We served them with an avocado and radish, sort of a salsa fresca. It was the perfect topping, with just a little hit of sour cream to really take them home. 

Jalapeno Corn Cakes 

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup flour (I used gluten free AP flour) 

1 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 large egg

1 cup plain yogurt

2 tablespoons melted butter, cooled

2 ears of corn, kernels removed with a knife

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 jalepeno, finely diced (remove seeds if you want)

2 teaspoons honey

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Avocado Radish Salsa

1 avocado, diced

6 radishes, cut into match sticks

1/4 cup diced onion

juice of 1/2 lemon

1/4 cup cilantro

salt and pepper to taste

This recipe is an adaptation of this epicurious recipe. 

Running a knife down the sides, remove the kernels of corn from the cob. 

In a large bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking soda, salt and pepper. 

In a smaller bowl whisk together the egg, yogurt and melted butter. Stir in the corn.  Set aside. 

In a skillet heat the tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onions until they are golden. Add the jalapeno and garlic and saute another two minutes. I took the seeds and ribs out of my jalapeno, since I was sharing this with small kids. However, I really wanted more heat in the end. So next time seeds stay in and little people get something else to eat. Remove the onion mixture to a bowl and let it cool a bit. Just so it stops steaming. 

Add the corn mixture to the flour mixture and combine gently. Stir in the onions and the honey. Lastly add the cilantro and give it a last stir. 

Heat a skillet or a griddle until water beads up and rolls off. Add the batter in 1/4 cup measure. Cook about 3 minutes on each side. Be careful, they cook fast. I burned the first batch while trying to get the best picture. 

Remove the cakes and stack them on a plate to keep warm. Make the salsa by combing all the ingredients in a bowl. Easy as can be. Serve the corn cakes warm with a generous dollop of the avocado and a little splash of sour cream. 

A votre santé! 

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