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The Ingredients
1/2C crumbled cotija cheese…cotija cheese, also known as “Mexican Parmesan,” is a hard, white, crumbly cheese that is typically made from cow’s milk with a fresh and salty taste similar to feta. You can most likely find this in the specialty “gourmet” xheese section of a decent grocery store…but if you cannot find it, try feta, grated parmesan, queso fresco, oe Pecorino Romano instead.
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges or 4Tbsp lime Juice...lime gives the corn a fabulous fresh, tangy, zesty flavor….and as with almost everything else, fresh is always best…just remember to avoid using the white pith from the lime as it has a bitter instead of tangy flavor.
1/3C Mexican Crema…Mexican crema is similar to typical sour cream but with a slightly sour taste and a creamy texture…milder and thinner than sour cream…imagine a mixture of heavy cream and buttermilk…you can usually find this in the meat department with the other Hispanic items or the cheeses….if you can’t find it, or like me refuse to buy an ingredient that you might not use again for a while…you can substitute 3Tbsp sour cream blended with 5Tbsp mayonnaise
Spices...as far as spices, like almost anything else that you cook, it totally depends on what you like…(or perhaps what you can find in your spice cabinet without having to dig through stuff)…including chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, pepper, salt…but here’s what I personally use…
- 1tsp chili powder
- 1/2tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2tsp cumin
- 3/4tsp paprika
- 1/4tsp pepper
- 1/4tsp salt
Vegetable oil...this will be used for brushing the corn while it is cooking…vegetable oil is typically what oil is used to make Mexican street corn, but feel free to substitute any other oil with a high smoking point that is neutral in flavor. …for more on this, check out this previous posts—Best Cooking Oils to Use for Diabetics and 9 More Cooking Oils to Stick Under Your Kitchen Sink Also,
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Prep Work
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First shuck your corn if you are using fresh corn. For more on doing this, check out this previous post…
Then decide how you are going to actually cook your corn—boiling it, grilling it, or cooking it in the oven…(for more on this, check out this link…Corn…The How.
Grilling the corn will give the corn the great smoky char that you expect from elote…more flavor means greater elote, right?!
Before you start cooking your corn, you first need to season it by brushing your spices. This will not only add flavor, but will also keep your corn from drying out.
To cook the corn in the oven…Preheat oven to 400. Line rimmed baking sheet with foil. Place a baking rack on top of prepared baking sheet. Place corn brushed with oil directly on the baking rack. Bake 35 minutes, turning half way through.
Once you have finished cooking your corn,,,
To warm it back up in the microwave…place the corn on a microwave safe plate. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for twenty second, then adcding ten seconds to the cooking time until warm.
To warm it back up in the oven…wrap each ear in foil and then bake in a 350 degree preheated oven for about five minutes.
