Well, how about all of the brilliant deliciousness of street corn, in the form of street corn nachos?
Video: How to Make Mexican Street Corn Nachos
Ever since I had some elote at a friend’s house the other day, I’ve been dreaming about capturing the flavors as a topping for cheesy nachos. And friends, I think we may have something good here. The components of nachos are tortilla chips, melted cheese of some sort, and toppings. The problem with a lot of nacho recipes is that if you bake the chips with the toppings, the chips quickly get soggy. To counteract that, I decided to toast the chips separately, and then just pour over a cheese sauce and top with the toppings right before serving. That way the chips stay crunchy, and don’t droop when you try to pick them up. The cheese sauce needed to be creamy and mild. Creamy to easily pour, and mild so it wouldn’t interfere with the street corn flavors. So, I’ve made a cheese sauce with Monterey jack, cream, milk, and some cornstarch to prevent clumping. This gets cooked in a double boiler on the stovetop so the sauce doesn’t burn or separate. As for the corn? You can of course grill some corn on the cob, and then remove the kernels. I didn’t want to fire up the grill to make nachos though, so I’m using frozen corn kernels that I sear, while still frozen (a tip from America’s test kitchen), in a cast iron pan on high heat. That way we get some sear. I use chipotle chile powder for the heat and smoky flavor. This isn’t the sort of thing you can make in advance. That said, if you are having people over for a game day party? This would be perfect. Enjoy! Mexican crema is a lot like runny sour cream. I don’t usually have it around, so I usually use diluted sour cream when a recipe like this one calls for crema. But if you have crema, use it! Stir occasionally, until most of the corn kernels have browned a little on at least one side. You’ll know the corn is ready when some of the kernels start “popping”. Remove the corn from the pan to a bowl, and repeat with the remaining frozen corn kernels. Mix the corn with the mayonnaise and set aside. If you don’t have a double boiler, place an inch of water in a small saucepan and place a metal bowl over it so that steam from the boiling water below heats the bottom of the bowl. Do not let the bowl touch the water. Place the grated monterey jack cheese in the top pan or bowl of the double boiler. Mix with the cornstarch. Pour in the cream and milk (can use half and half if you want). Add the minced garlic. Heat the water in the double boiler to a boil. Let the cheese gently melt, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is smooth. Pour the cheese sauce over the chips. Sprinkle the top with the toasted corn. Sprinkle with cotija cheese crumbles. Sprinkle with chipotle chili powder. Drizzle with the crema or diluted sour cream. Sprinkle with cilantro. Sprinkle with a little lime juice and serve immediately with lime wedges. Grilled Mexican Street Corn here on Simply Recipes Blue Corn Chicken Nachos here on Simply Recipes Mexican Street Corn Salad from View from Great Island
