Creamed Corn. Never tried it. Thought it could only be found at the bottom shelf of the canned vegetable aisle at the grocery store. I’m from the north where you don’t see or hear much about creamed corn. Then I moved to the dirty dirty where creamed corn is found every where. The first time I tried it I was at a barbecue joint called DBA here in Atlanta. Four of us went to try out this spot. We ordered what looked like an upside-down garbage can lid full of Game of Thrones sized meats. It came with a few sides and the creamed corn was one of them. It. Was. Delicious. Made with fresh corn, super creamy, sweet, salty and our favorite new thing.

Normally, creamed corn is served as a side. But I think it can make a delicious dip, baked with a bit of cheese on top. I  was right. And because I can’t help myself, I added kimchi. Classic move by me. The addition of the bacon gives the dip a smoky, porky flavor. It’s that grilled corn that’s covered in butter and cream cheese. Yes, cream cheese. So Uhmerican. Take a delicious vegetable and down it in cheese. I’m in. Now, I may be jumping seasons from spring to summer, but I was really craving this. It’s creamy, and sweet, and smoky, and tangy, and slightly spicy. Happy tongue over here. I took down a third of it by myself before dinner. Oops.

KIMCHI BACON CREAMED CORN

SERVES 6… OR 2

[one_third padding=”0 0px 0 0px”]5 cobs of fresh corn
1/2 lb thick cut smoked bacon, cut into lardons
1 1/2 tbsp unsalted butter
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
2 pinches salt
1/2 cup chopped cabbage kimchi
 
medium cheddar cheese
chopped parsley
 
blue corn tortilla chips[/one_third][two_third_last padding=”0 0px 0 0px”]Heat a grill or grill pan over high heat. Grill the corn until just charred, about 3 minutes per side. Once the cobs are cool enough, cut the kernels off. Using the back of your knife, scrape down the cob to release all of the starchy corn milk… that’s not a technical term. Set aside.

Pre-heat the oven to 375˚F.

In an oven-proof skillet, crisp the bacon lardons over medium-low heat. Do this in batches so that the bacon crisps properly. Drain the lardons onto a papertowel lined plate until all the bacon is cooked. Set aside a tablespoon or so of bacon to use as garnish.

Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon grease from the pan. Place the skillet back over medium-low heat and add the butter, cream cheese and milk. Whisk to combine until the cream cheese has melted into the milk and is bubbly. Turn the heat off and add the corn kernels, bacon lardons, kimchi and a few pinches of salt. Gently mix until it’s all combined. Grate some cheddar over the top. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 15 minutes until bubbling and warmed through.

Let rest for at least 5 minutes before garnishing with the bacon and chopped parsley. Serve with Corn tortilla chips. Enjoy![/two_third_last]