Our fantastic sitter came over last week. I left her with a few instructions and bolted out the house like a swarm of bees were chasing me. I didn’t have an appointment or a plan. I sat in my car for a few minutes, not sure what to do or where to go. Almost lunch time and tired of Sunbutter and jam sandwiches, I took myself out to lunch. Did I eat by myself in a restaurant and read a book? Nope. I drove to Whole Foods. I wandered around the prepared foods section for a while, finally settling on a salad for lunch. I thought about sitting in the café area, but decided against it; way too many people. I headed to my car. So I am sitting in the parking lot, alone, eating their spicy Thai kale salad and listening to Here & Now on NPR. I know there is so much to make fun of in that sentence. It gets better: I am wearing Birkenstocks, now fashionable, but not so when I bought them, and drinking organic green tea. I am a cliché. Did I picture this for myself 10 years ago? No. Am I ok with it? Yup. I can appreciate and laugh at both Whole Foods and kale salads. I like to eat alone because I NEVER eat alone. Birkenstocks are so dam comfortable I could walk across the state of Massachusetts in them without complaining my feet hurt. I like NPR, enough said.

Kathy Gunst was on Here & Now discussing how to use the vegetable of the month: corn! I love corn but, my ears didn’t really perk up until she mentioned corn fritters. My grandmother made corn fritters and served them with warm maple syrup. I loved them; so sweet and so deep-fried.

When I got home I looked up her recipe and found both a sweet and savory version of a corn fritter. Savory sounds interesting. Oh, and instead of a deep-fried treat, she prepared them as you would a pancake. Perfect! I feel less guilty about serving them to my family for dinner. I adapted her recipe by swapping out some of the flour for whole wheat flour, and using 1% milk instead of half and half. I felt like I made a healthy choice. Then I added bacon. Why? Because it was sitting in the fridge and it felt left out. You don’t need to add it, but it tastes dam good with corn and syrup. Just sayin’.

The sweet corn fritter is just as you expect: sweet, comforting and addictive. The savory corn fritter has a surprising burst of herbal and lemon flavor. A healthy drizzling of lemon-herb butter highlights this flavor profile even more! The kids loved the sweet corn fritters. Bubba and I ate the savory fritters. If you don’t feel like making the lemon-herb butter, pour warm maple syrup over the savory fritters. Bubba did and said it was delicious. Take advantage of fresh corn this month and make these fritters. Enjoy!

Sweet and Savory Corn Fritters

recipe adapted from NPR’s Here & Now chef Kathy Gunst

makes about 10 small fritters

Ingredients for Sweet Corn Breakfast Fritters:

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

Pinch of kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup milk (I used 1%.)

1 tbsp. sugar

1 large egg, lightly beaten

2 cups fresh corn kernels, removed from 2 cobs

Maple syrup

Canola oil or vegetable oil for pan

Optional: 1/2 pound of bacon, cooked and chopped

Directions:

(Pre-heat your oven to 200F. As you cook the fritters you can place them on a baking sheet in the oven to keep them warm until you are ready to serve.)

Whisk together the flours, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the milk and sugar and whisk until very smooth. Add a little more milk if the batter looks to dry. Beat in the egg and gently fold in the corn.

Using a large skillet or griddle, heat a few tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, drop 2 tablespoons batter into the hot oil. Gently flatten the batter with the back of your spatula to form a pancake. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. *When lots of bubbles form in the batter it is a good time to flip the pancake.* Serve immediately with lots of maple syrup and some chopped bacon or transfer to pre-heated oven until ready to serve. Enjoy!

Savory Herb Corn Fritters

recipe adapted from NPR’s Here & Now chef Kathy Gunst

makes 10-12 small fritters

Ingredients:

2 cups of fresh corn from about 2 large cobs

1 large egg, whisked

1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup white whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup whole milk

Pinch of kosher salt

the zest and juice of one lemon

a bit of fresh ground black pepper

1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped

1 tbsp. fresh basil, chopped

1 tbsp. fresh chives, chopped

1 tbsp. canola oil, plus more for frying

Optional: 1/2 pound of bacon, cooked and chopped

Directions:

In a large bowl, mix together the corn kernels and egg. Add the flour, baking powder, milk, salt, pepper, parsley, basil, chives and 1 tsp. lemon zest and stir until combined. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and beat well.

Heat your skillet or griddle over medium-high heat and add a bit of oil for frying. Using a small cookie scoop or spoon, drop 2 tablespoons batter into the hot oil. Gently flatten the batter with the back of your spatula to form a pancake. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. *When lots of bubbles form in the batter it is a good time to flip the pancake.*

Serve immediately or transfer to pre-heated oven until ready to serve. Eat with a heaping spoonful of lemon-herb butter. Enjoy!

Lemon-Herb Butter

Ingredients:

1/2 stick unsalted butter

pinch of kosher salt

1 tbsp. parsley, chopped

1 tbsp. basil, chopped

1 tbsp. chives, chopped

1 tsp. lemon zest

juice of 1 lemon

fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Melt the butter with the herbs and simmer over low heat for a few minutes. Add lemon juice, zest and black pepper and simmer for another minute.

Drizzle over cooked fritters when ready to serve. Enjoy!

5 Corn Recipes To Try Before Corn Season Ends!

I like soup in the summertime. It is a nice break from the grill. I especially love corn soup, so Cooking Classy’s summer squash and corn chowder is on my meal list this week. Check it out!

Looking for an easy and light pasta dish that the kids can help you make? Try hello, Wonderful’s recipe for pappardelle with leeks and corn. Yum!

I love fast and healthy meals. I need to throw this quesadilla recipe into our rotation before corn and zucchini season are over!

If your garden is overflowing with cilantro head to Food 52. Their recipe for sweet corn fritters with sriracha-lime Greek yogurt sounds amazing!

I am a big fan of corn bread and the kids love it too. I need to try Spoon Fork Bacon’s recipe for Buttermilk Cornbread with Bacon, Lime and Chili butter. I didn’t know you could do that to butter. Wow!