Corn Cakes

From time to time in the summer we have leftover corn on the cob. Most often I use it for corn salad, like this one or this one, or I'll just mix it in to my regular cornbread. This time I was on the hunt for something a little different and I stumbled upon David Lebovitz's Fresh Corn Cakes. I knew from the start that my recipe would be an adaptation because my corn was already cooked instead of raw. I also knew that I would want to use whey instead of milk because I always have some that needs to be used and that I would omit the chile since my small ones are spice-averse. I added a bit of baking soda to make sure the whey had something to work against and doubled the sugar to cater to my kids' tastes and mitigate any sourness from the whey. Sadly, my corn kernels were a bit starchy, but the end result was still good. I added a bit of extra milk to make thinner, lighter cakes. The thicker ones are also nice, so just go with your preference. When thinned, they're very much like a regular buttermilk pancake. These are naturally gluten-free, another bonus.

INGREDIENTS

235g corn flour (not cornmeal, but super finely-ground corn)

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp table salt

300g corn kernels, fresh or cooked

4 TBSP butter, cubed (Lebovitz says room temp but mine was cold and it was fine)

2 TBSP sugar or honey (I like sugar for the ease of measuring it)

1 c whey or whey and milk mixed, plus more milk to thin as needed (I used 3/4 c whey and 1 c milk)

2 egg yolks

3 egg whites (use the extra yolk for something else delicious)

DIRECTIONS

1. Stir corn flour, leaveners, and salt in a large bowl
2. In a small saucepan, heat the butter, whey/milk and sugar/honey until the butter is melted then set aside
3. Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites in a medium brown until they form stiff peaks. Set aside
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and stir in the slightly-cooled milk mixture, the corn kernels and the egg yolks until combined
5. Fold in the egg whites until no white streaks remain
6. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium-high heat until hot
7. Use a skim of butter or oil in the pan and drop about 1/4 c of mixture per cake into the pan. My fabulous Baking Steel Griddle holds 6 cakes even after I thinned the batter
8. Cook on the first side until bubbling and dry at the edges, then flip and cook for an additional minute or so
9. Serve alongside anything you like or just eat for breakfast. You could go a savory or a sweet direction with these