The Bestest Grilled Sweet Corn with Sun-Dried Tomato Butter

I do not think I have ever been so excited about a vegetable.  Except maybe my grandmother's lima beans, they are pretty stupendous.  But this corn, (insert the really, really happy emoji with the squinty eyes) is my new favorite Summer side dish.  If I had to pick something to eat from now until September I'd ask for this corn and a bucket of steamed shrimp... Okay, maybe this pasta too; it's my favorite.  And watermelon, but that is all. 

Actually, I'd also like some hot dogs...  I don't like this choosing game after all. 

The point I'm really failing to make here is that this corn is one of the best and easiest things you will make and eat this Summer.  It's really, really, REALLY good.  

Does that sound braggadocious?  I always hesitate slightly before claiming that something my crazy, carb-driven brain came up with is great, because, well, I made it up.  But, I will happily give all credit to the ingredients here.  With extra special thanks going to corn.

Corn, you’re pretty and I like you because you are sweet and starchy, but still pass as a vegetable, and because we both have unruly hair (except mine could never be called "silk") that ends up all over the floor.  Ew.  Moving on. 

Do you like puns?  I really like corn puns.  You would be surprised hominy I can come up with. Heehee. 

This corn has two surprises, the first of which comes in the form of Old Bay.  That pungent orange powder is essentially fairy dust for Summer foods. 

The smell of Old Bay transports me to warm July afternoons spent shelling boiled shrimp and spraying them with “butter” that came out of a bottle.  When I was four that was the coolest thing ever, but now, well… it’s still kind of cool but I’m far too sophisticated to admit it. 

A generous dose of Old Bay is mixed with a bit of olive oil and then slathered onto fresh sweet corn.  

I like to coat the corn before I place it on the grill, and then give it several more coats as it’s cooking.  If the cob is orangey after you take your first bite, you will know that you did enough. It's science.  

While the corn cooks, run inside the kitchen and make some sun-dried tomato butter.  Oh yes, that is the second surprise.  

I will warn you now that this butter is my new favorite thing and it will likely be popping up in A LOT of Summer recipes around here.  I would apologize, but after you taste it you really won’t mind one little bit.  

I bought the olive-oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes for this recipe, and I found that I greatly prefer their flavor and texture to the dry ones.  They also have that tomato-saturated oil which adds a little extra flavor to this savory butter. 

Tomatoes, along with a little oil, butter, and kosher salt go into the food processor to spin around, forming a smooth, fluffy butter. 

This lovely orange butter has a very rich tomato flavor that couples impeccably well with the Old Bay-suffused corn.  

I’m really excited about this.

I made this corn for Mother’s Day and my brother compared my mouth to a lawnmower after seeing how quickly I devoured these cobs of wonder.  It was no time to be leisurely, the butter was melting off the sides.  

This is, by far, my new favorite Summer side dish.  I think I may love it even more than watermelon.  

Now would likely be a good time to break out those floss picks.  

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

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The Bestest Grilled Corn with Sun-Dried Tomato Butter

serves 4

for the butter

- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened  

- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil 

- 2 teaspoons oil (taken from the jar of tomatoes) 

- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Place butter in the work bowl of your food processor and pulse until smooth.  Add sun-dried tomatoes, oil, and kosher salt and pulse until well combined.   

Place the butter in a small dish and cover with plastic.  Refrigerate for 5-10 minutes, or until just set, but not hard.*

While the butter is refrigerating, prepare the corn.  

*The butter will remain in prime condition in the refrigerator for about a week.  Or, you can wrap it in parchment paper and freeze for up to a month. 

for the corn

- 4 ears fresh sweet corn

- 1.5 ounces extra virgin olive oil

- 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning 

Set grill on high heat.

In a small bowl, whisk to combine olive oil and Old Bay seasoning.  Use a basting brush to coat the corn evenly with the spice and oil mixture.

Place the corn directly onto the hot grill and cook, turning every few minutes, for 7-9 minutes, until the corn is slightly charred. Continue brushing the corn with the olive oil mixture as it cooks.  

Once the corn has cooked, remove from heat and allow to cool just slightly before serving with prepared butter.  

Serve with (very) generous helpings of sun-dried tomato butter.  Enjoy!