Elote!

So, that same party I had the privilege of making the desserts for, was a Mexican themed party. I did not help with the food prep hardly at all ( I manned the grill for a few minutes once I arrived) and the food was amazing. It was a taco bar basically, with 3 types of meat and guacamole, and all the fixings, etc. One of the things we had was elote. Yes, I had to look it up, too, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elote. Basically, you grill corn in the husk and then again once it's shucked, which makes it great all by itself. It gets better, though. You then brush on a simple sauce made from mayonaise, lime juice, chile powder, cumin, cayenne, etc (recipe to follow), and roll it in a mexican cheese called, cotija, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotija_cheese . It's often served in authentic mexican restaurants, home, and fairs. Anyway, it was amazing and I had to share since I had not had it before.

Elote, or Mexican Grilled Corn
Serves 4

4 ears sweet corn
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon lime juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper of chile powder
salt, to taste
2/3 cup crumbled cotija anejo cheese
lime wedges
extra cayenne pepper of chile powder, for sprinkling
fresh finely chopped cilantro for optional garnish

Soak corn (in husks) in cold water for 25-30 minutes.

Prepare a medium-hot grill. Peel back the corn husks leaving them attached at the end. Remove the silk. Pull the husks back up and tie with a spare piece of husk or a small piece of cooking twine. Place the ears on the grill. Cook 20-25 minutes, turning several times to ensure even roasting. The kernels should be soft when fully cooked.

If you’d like the kernels more charred, then simply follow the above instructions, but cook in husks for 15 minutes only. Then cool ears slightly, pull back the husks (to use as handles) and place the ears directly on the grill (with husks overhanging the side) for 5-7 minutes, or until they reach desired level of charring.

Place crumbled cheese on a plate large enough to fit an ear of corn. In a small bowl mix the mayonnaise, lime juice, cayenne pepper or chile powder, and salt. When the corn is cooked, brush each ear with some mayo sauce then roll in the cheese. Serve with lime wedges, additional cayenne pepper or chile powder, and fresh finely chopped cilantro.

** Cotija anejo, a mild-flavored Mexican cheese with a crumbly texture, can be found in Mexican markets or in the refrigerator section of most major supermarkets. Queso fresco, another mild Mexican cheese, is a good substitute and also can be found in most major supermarkets.

Note: If you are unable to grill outdoors, then you can oven roast the corn. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and place corn in husks (no need to soak first) directly on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes, or until corn is soft to the touch. Allow to cool slightly, then remove husks and silks, and add toppings.

From: http://foodblogga.blogspot.com/2008/09/how-to-make-elote-or-mexican-grilled.html

As is my custom, I perused several recipes and I did it my way (cue Sinatra...). So, the recipe above was just one of the many I looked at, and true to form I followed none of them exactly. I did not measure, but I did use mayo, chile powder, cumin, cayenne, lemon juice, garlic, and a touch of salt. Yes, I added garlic, it was Italian/Mexican...so what?!? I also used "queso" since I could not find cojita. It worked fine. I actually toasted the corn in a frying pan as my grill is on the fritz...it turned out great. Very nice addition to our taco night, indeed! I served it more as a side dish since the kernels were already off the cob and my pic is not quite as pretty as the ones above, but taste trumps presentation in my opinion.

Buon Appetito! (Or Buen Provecho, perhaps?)