Summer Corn Cakes

Yes.  Another Pinterest Repin.  This one is my SAVORY board cover so I just had to try it.  It's so pretty.  It's so yummy.  I will now post the original ingredients, but know that I was able to pull things from food storage and, by rehydrating the freeze-dried corn, I had perfect kernels for this recipe, and my buttermilk was from a mix.  Also, I didn't have a scallion but I did have a leek, so I substituted that and took out the minced garlic.  Now, there are two different recipes here, one for the corn cakes and one for the Chopped Tomato & Avocado Salsa.  Pay attention and be sure to get all of your ingredients for both recipes.  Pay ATTENTION...I emphasize this because I put the red onion in the salsa instead of the corn cakes because I was trying to watch the Republican National Convention at the same time. 

Corn Cakes Ingredients:

3 ears of corn, shucked

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup diced red onion

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons well-shaken (not stirred) buttermilk (sorry, just had to use that James Bond reference)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Canola oil, for frying

1.  Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.  Line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag.

2.  Cut the corn from the cobs into a large bowl.  Scrape the stripped cobs with the back of the knife or spoon to release the juices into the bowl.

3. Place 2 cups of the corn kernels into a food processor. Pulse several times until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky.  Scrape into the bowl with remaining kernels.

4.  Add flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pepper to the corn.  Stir to mix.

5.  Add the eggs, buttermilk, and butter, and stir just to combine--do not overmix.

6.  Place a large skillet over medium heat.  Add just enough canola oil to cover the bottom, and heat until sizzling hot.

7.  Scoop the batter onto the skillet, one heaping tablespoon at a time.  To avoid overcrowding, do in batches of 4 or 5 at a time.  Fry the cakes 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown.

8.  Drain on the lined baking sheet, and place in the oven to keep warm while cooking the rest of the cakes.  Serve warm with LARGE spoonful of the Chopped Tomato & Avocado Salsa.

Chopped Tomato & Avocado Salsa Ingredients: 

1 large tomato, cored and chopped

1 scallion, trimmed and minced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice of 1 lime

1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1.  Place all ingredients, except avocado, in a bowl and stir to mix.  Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve (for up to 2 days).

2.  Just before serving, add the avocado and mix gently.

Source:  Ezra Pound Cake