Elote Brulee

This fusion dish works so well. The crunchy sugar adds texture and balance to the creamy, cheesy, and spicy grilled corn

Ingredients

• 4 ears of corn

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 2 Tbsp flour

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• Cotija or parmesan, grated

• 2 oz cream cheese

• ½ cup shredded pepperjack or mozzarella

• Tajin, or chile powder and lime zest (I used both)

• Cilantro

• Salt and pepper, to taste

• Turbinado or demerara sugar Note: in a pinch, table sugar is fine, but you will need more of it, making your dish sweeter, so crank up the spice level of the corn. White sugar will also cook more quickly, so keep an eye on it.

Directions

1. Peel the husk off of the corn. If using a grill, grill the corn until charred.

   Note: My grill wasn't very hot, so the corn was grilled, and then I torched the outside. While that wasn't the plan, I got the char I was looking for and you could taste the fact it was grilled. If you're not working with a grill, broiling or toasting on a pan will do just fine

2. Preheat a cast iron pan on medium. Remove the corn from the cob. If you want to be EXTRA, you can use the cobs to make a stock to add to the recipe instead of water, but I just froze mine for later.

3. Add the butter and corn to the skillet. Once the corn is all tossed and cooked in the melted butter, add the flour. Stirring frequently, allow this to cook a few minutes.

4. Slowly stir in the cream. Add the cream cheese, tajin/chile powder and some lime zest. Let this come to a simmer and thicken, adding water or stock if it becomes too thick

5. Stir in the shredded cheese and some cotija. Once the cheese is melted, turn off the heat and stir in some cilantro, reserving some for garnish. Allow to cool slightly.

6. Spoon the cheesey corn mixture into heat safe ramekins or mini cast irons. Sprinkle the sugar over the top, covering it with a thin layer that covers it all. Sprinkle some salt on top.

7. Carefully torch the top of the dish with a kitchen torch. If you don't have one, a broiler can work just fine.

   Hold the torch about 6 inches away from the dish and keep the flame moving until all sides are torched. If you over torch, the burnt sugar will become bitter, so watch for the sugar starting to sweat.

8. Allow this to rest at least 5 minutes before attempting a brulee crack. Garnish with cilantro, additional tajin, a lime wedges.