Corn Cakes with Tomato Avacado Relish

I wasn't quite sure about this recipe when I first saw it at Annie's Eats, but I've been a little more adventurous with my cooking lately so I decided to give it a go.  My man is a very "meat and potatoes" kind of guy, so I was pleasantly surprised when he said he liked this meal.  Of course, it would probably be best with fresh corn, garden tomatoes and soft avocado.  But I did my best with it being winter and all.

Yield: 12 cakes
Ingredients:
For the corn cakes:
3 large ears of corn, shucked
1 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup cornmeal
¼ cup red onion, finely diced
¼ cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tbsp. buttermilk (I used milk didn't seem to make a difference)
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
Canola or vegetable oil, for frying
For the relish:
1 large tomato, cored and chopped
1 scallion, minced
1 tbsp. minced fresh basil
1 clove garlic, minced
Juice of half a lime
1½ tsp. olive oil
1½ tsp. white wine vinegar
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced
Ranch dressing, for serving (optional)
Directions:  
Cut the corn kernels off of the cobs and place in a large bowl.  Place 2 cups of the corn kernels in the food processor and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky.  Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the remaining corn kernels.  Add the flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Stir to mix well.  Add the eggs, buttermilk, and butter, and stir just to combine.
To make the salsa, combine all of the ingredients except the avocado in a medium bowl and mix well to combine.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 days.  Just before serving, mix in the avocado.
Place a large skillet over medium heat.  Add just enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan and heat until sizzling hot.  Scoop the batter into the skillet a heaping tablespoon at a time, cooking the cakes in batches of 4 or 5 so that they are not touching.  Fry 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown. 
  Transfer the cooked cakes to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve immediately topped with the relish and drizzled with ranch dressing, if desired.

Come back tomorrow for a guest post from Cassie at Primitive and Proper

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for your sweet comment on my cedar chest post! And yumm for this recipe, the Sweet Corn Tamale cakes at The Cheesecake Factory are my favorite... I'm certainly going to try this recipe! - Susan

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  2. YUM! and you are making these when i come, right? ;)

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  3. Oh, these look so delicious, Kathleen! I love to try out new recipes. I look forward to making these later this week.

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  4. these look so yummy, I am going to try making them this week.

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