Chef ILona Daniel: Elote (Mexican Street Corn)
Lots of big flavours and textures in this easy and approachable backyard bbq or street fiesta dish! This is not the authentic version, but my fun riff on the classic. (photo credit: Cordell Wells)
ELOTE (MEXICAN STREET CORN)
For the grilled corn:
12 cobs of corns
salted water for the cobs to soak in
vegetable oil to lightly brush the corn before grilling
Peel the husk slowly, leaf by leaf while leaving them still attached to the cob. Remove all of the silk and discard. Tear a string-sized piece of husk to tie all of the the leaves together. Soak the cobs for an hour in salted water before putting corn on the grill. Brush the cobs lightly with oil and grill. Grill the cobs at medium-high heat for 10-12 minutes. Turn the cobs every 2-3 minutes to ensure the entire cob is lightly charred and heated throughout.
Tomatillo & Queso Fresco Slather:
1 cup (160 oz) queso fresco or feta cheese, crumbled
2 containers (8oz) whipped cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
Juice of 2 limes
Blend all the ingredients using a stick blender or food processor.
Elote coating:
1 bag Jalapeno-Cheddar Cheetos, crushed into dust
1 bag Flaming Sweet Chili Heat Cheetos, crushed into dust
1 cup chopped cilantro
Combine all the ingredients together.
To assemble the elote:
Using a pastry brush, brush the tomatillo & queso fresco slather all of the grilled corn kernels. Next, spoon cheeto dust all over the corn. Eat! Repeat!
(photo credit for above photo: Cordell Wells)
