Category is...It's Corn!

This menu celebrates the versatility of corn. Everything on this menu, from the soup to the ice cream, is as corny as it looks!

This week’s Hardcore Supper Club theme is “It’s Corn!” And yes, I am quoting that adorable kid who went viral on TikTok a few summers back for enthusiastically professing his love for corn. I mean, it’s relatable content. But if the reference to a three-year-old meme didn’t hook you, maybe the dishes will. This menu features a Sweet Corn Sake Colada paired with a Korean Corn Cheese Rarebit as the opening volley. The main event is Sweet Corn Miso Udon Noodles with a Grilled Peach Corn Herb Salad on the side. And the meal concludes with the Sweet Corn Blueberry Sundae you’ve already met. There is definitely a joke to be made about this menu being corny, but I can’t tell it without being corny, so I won’t.

You may have noticed that this menu is a day late. That is because we’ve had some plumbing-related drama lately. I haven’t had a functional kitchen sink for a bit now, so needless to say, everything has been going a little slower. It’s getting fixed today, though. So hopefully I can really fly for the rest of the month. But enough of my excuses, let’s get to the menu!

Sweet Corn Sake Colada

First up, it’s the Sweet Corn Sake Colada. With summer days dwindling, I was keen to enjoy one last poolside-ready sip. And nothing is more summery than a classic Piña colada. But the only trouble is I find them to be, well, too sweet. I had the added complication of having to integrate corn, and the rest of the dishes in this menu were tilting heavily toward Korean and Japanese cuisine. I think it goes without saying, but the cocktail was the last recipe I developed for this menu. And it didn’t go down without a fight.

Corn proved to be a difficult cocktail ingredient, at least for me. I tried infusing some gin with corn, and it got lost very quickly. I tried making a corn simple syrup, both steamed and grilled corn, and the corny flavor got lost in the sweetness. It was very clear on the nose, but you couldn’t taste the corn at all. Finally, I settled for making the corn a more complementary note. I opted to grill it, so the char could bring some depth and warmth to the proceedings. I paired the grilled corn with fresh pineapple juice and swapped the Pina Colada’s usual rum for sake, to keep the drink inside the universe of the menu. I was pleasantly surprised at how much this switch tempered the cocktail’s usual sweetness. The sake gave the drink a little more acidity and background umami. Needless to say, I am smitten. This cocktail also has a lower ABV than its forebearer, which is handy if you or any of your guests happen to be lightweights.

Korean Corn Cheese Rarebit

Next up, we have this Korean Corn Cheese Rarebit. This is a mash-up of two popular bar snacks from two very different parts of the world. Korean Corn Cheese is a member of the anju family. Anju is a genre of food that is meant to be consumed alongside alcohol. In other words, a Korean bar snack. Korean corn cheese is a relatively contemporary snack. It emerged out of the Korean War when both canned corn and American cheese were distributed as rations by the American armed forces. Korean corn cheese is typically served as a bubbling dip, but here the dish’s flavours are integrated into a beer cheese sauce and baked on golden slices of shokupan, rarebit-style.

Okay, so what is rarebit? Often mistaken for merely melted cheese on toast, rarebit is a centuries-old public house starter. This UK export usually features a thick beer and cheese sauce slathered on bread and broiled until bubbly. The sauce is often spiked with whole grain mustard and/or Worcestershire sauce, both of which I have included in this dish. And finally, one more word that may or may not be on your radar: shokupan. Shokupan is Japan’s answer to white sandwich bread. It’s fluffy, buttery, and has a slight chew. Its high sugar content makes it prone to burning, so make sure you keep an eye on it while it’s under the broiler.

Grilled Peach Corn Herb Salad

Okay, let’s talk salad. This is my farewell to summer salad. It features both grilled corn and grilled peaches. I adore grilling peaches; that kiss of heat and gentle char really brings the fruit’s sugars to the fore. The salad is rounded out by very thin slices of raw white onion for a little bite and fresh cilantro leaves. We will be using the stems in the dressing. This is a cilantro-heavy salad. If you happen to be one of the unlucky few who find eating cilantro akin to licking a soap dish, feel free to omit the stems from the vinaigrette and swap the leaves for a tender baby green of your choice. Or you could stick with herbs and give some Thai basil a whirl.

Sweet Corn Miso Udon

Now for the main event, this Sweet Corn Miso Udon. This dish features tender, bouncy noodles luxuriating in a rich and creamy sweet corn miso soup. The dish is finished with a drizzle of sesame oil, thinly sliced scallions, and marigold petals. I realize I’m biased, but the Sweet Corn Miso Soup might be one of the best things I’ve ever made. I can’t wait to make more of it as the weather turns colder. While its prowess is no doubt helped along by peak-season corn, I have a hunch that this soup might be a good place to conceal out-of-season or frozen corn as well. So you can get your corny fix all winter long without the disappointment of subpar corn.

I am happy to report that I didn’t make these udon noodles from scratch, and I don’t expect you to either. These are frozen noodles, and I think they are fabulous. There is no sense in being a hero here. Just take the easy win and buy your noodles.

Sweet Corn Blueberry Sundae

To close out the meal, we have a Sweet Corn Blueberry Sundae, complete with Butter Popcorn “Sprinkles”. As per usual, I’m not going to go into too much detail about this particular dish because I’ve already done that here. You can find the recipe (for free) there as well. But one thing I will say is if you’re looking for an easy out, just make the ice cream. The Sweet Corn Ice Cream is so good and so over-the-top, well, corny that it is perfectly delicious and surprising all on its own.