Elote Dip

Sep 27th

I first had this dip at a fabulous little restaurant in Sedona Arizona called the Elote Cafe. It is full of fresh sweet grilled corn and cotija cheese. It is so creamy and has the most unusual flavors that come together to just burst in your mouth with happiness! It is best served with tortilla chips and the ones I like here in Michigan are called Farmboy Tortilla Chips. When I am home in Arizona I buy my Nana’s. Any chip will do. I figured I would make this for Pete and I and some of our friends here in Michigan the other night. Since sweet corn is still being sold at the farmer’s market I thought I would whip this up. You also can use corn on the cob that is frozen, but you definitely have to grill it, either on the grill or in a grill pan. It really just makes it taste better. Now, on to this picture, I think it looks pretty, do you? I have now been rejected for my photo’s over 40 times because of lighting issues or composition of the photograph. I’m getting really, really frustrated. I know how to cook and would love to share my passion of great recipes with the world. I guess practice makes perfect, so hopefully someday this will all come together for me. I will keep chugging along. They say in life, once again I don’t know who they are, but you go through a lot of rejection and disappointment before you truly can be successful, so I’m on my way! When I first started this blog in May, my goal was to just get it up and going and be happy with that. I have to keep reminding myself of those thoughts. I am going to take a deep breath today, and send in this picture and recipe and see what happens! If I’m rejected so be it! I love to cook and I am so enjoying this blog, it is very therapeutic for me. It is almost like writing a journal. So I will be proud of myself for coming this far. I will take lessons on photography and developing when I return to Arizona. I will continue this journey of self discovery and try not to get disappointed. If anything, at least I know this will be something to hand down to my children and their children for years to come, and really isn’t that what life is all about!

Elote Dip: Adapted from the Elote Cafe Cookbook by Jeff Smedstad.

6 ears of corn

1 cup mayonnnaise

1 Tbs Cholula brand hot sauce. Or any hot sauce. However this is my favorite.

2 Tbs fresh lime juice

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fresh ground pepper

1 tsp sugar

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup cotija cheese, ground or crumbled, for the dip and the garnish

2 Tbs chopped cilantro for the dip and garnish

pure-ground red chile to taste, for garnish

crispy tortillas for scooping

Over a medium hot grill or grill pan, roast the corn until it is well charred about 5 minutes. Turn occasionally so as not to burn the side contacting the direct heat. Set the roasted ears aside until cool enough to handle, then cut the kernels off the cobs.

Preheat the oven to 350

Mix the mayo, hot sauce, lime juice, salt, pepper, sugar, and chicken stock in a bowl. Mix in the corn kernels. Mix in half the cotija cheese and the half of the cilantro. Pour into a small casserole dish and garnish with the rest of the cheese and cilantro. Sprinkle with the red chile. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through.

 

 

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