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July 27th, you may be aware (perhaps just feel it in your bones) is National New Jersey Day.
Yes, National–the whole country celebrates us. (Or else!)
It’s a great time to celebrate Jersey sweet corn, our famous and locally cherished gift to the foodie universe. The corn is ripe for pickin’ or purchasing at markets and farm stands.
Here, some of our state’s top toques get to the kernels of what makes this crop so special.
Tom Valenti • Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, Morristown
What makes Jersey corn so great: “I love everything about Jersey corn. Always crisp and sweet and seldom starchy. What’s fun about it locally, aside from its accessibility, is the sensation that when you drive past cornfields here in the sticks, you get kind of a visual calendar from sprout to tassel.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “At Jockey Hollow we’re serving corn a few different ways. One is charred kernels in an octopus salad, along with smoked tomato and hazelnut. Another dish is risotto loaded with corn kernels, corn purée, and, naturally, crisp bacon. As a side dish, we have creamed corn. And in the next few weeks I’m doing a special of sweet corn custard with butter-poached lobster.”
How I prepare corn at home: “When it’s fresh that day, it’s simple: boiled, steamed, or on the grill. I prefer mine naked. No salt. No butter. Nuthin.’”
Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen, 110 South Street, 973-644-3180
Christina and Richard Cusack • June BYOB, Collingswood
June BYOB’s crab cavatelli with Jersey sweet corn. Photo courtesy of Daniel Heinkel/Heinkel Photography
What makes Jersey corn so great: Christina: “I absolutely love Jersey sweet corn. It instantly brings me back to childhood summers. My parents and my grandparents loved Atlantic City because the beach was free and they liked gambling. We’d often drive to Ocean City for the boardwalk. On our drive home from the Shore to Audubon, they’d always take the long way home so we could stop and get fresh corn at the farmers’ stands on the side of the road. My parents still live there, and I know they still love Jersey corn.”
How we prepare corn at the restaurant: Richard: “I’m making a crab Cavatelli now, served in both appetizer and entrée portions. It features meaty lump crabmeat plus squash, cherry tomatoes and Jersey sweet corn kernels. It’s in a thick, buttery, creamy corn suprême sauce.”
How we prepare corn at home: Richard: “It’s so flavorful on its own that when I’m home, cooking dinner for our family, I just throw it on the grill and coat it with butter and Parmesan. Simple, yet delicious.”
June BYOB, 690 Haddon Avenue, 856-240-7041
David Davidson • B2 Bistro + Bar, multiple locations
What makes Jersey corn so great: “Corn feels like summer to me. It reminds me of my early childhood in the Dominican Republic, charring ears of corn on a wood oven at my grandmother’s house. That was local corn. Jersey sweet corn is a treasure of the state I now proudly call home. It’s such a versatile vegetable. Restaurant chefs, and home cooks, too, have so many ways to cook corn, from side dishes to bread, salads, desserts, and more. I never get tired of Jersey corn.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “B2’s pork Milanese presents the corn with our 14-ounce chop. It’s pounded, breaded and pan-fried to perfection in butter. Then it’s topped with a salad of arugula, fruited bruschetta, lots of toasted Jersey corn kernels and honey-lemon vinaigrette.”
How I prepare corn at home: “I love to do different things. But my go-to easy dish—especially if I’m hosting a party—is Texas caviar with tortilla chips. You ask, ‘What is Texas caviar?’ It’s a dip or salad, like succotash but with Mexican flavors. I use fresh Jersey corn, black-eyed peas, black beans, onion, peppers, jalapeño, cilantro, garlic, oil, vinegar and lime juice. Chile heat optional.”
Summit House’s summery corn and coconut gazpacho from chef AJ Capella. Photo courtesy of Summit House
What makes Jersey corn so great: “I’m a Jersey country boy from Ogdensburg, in Sussex County. My childhood was filled with corn cookouts, corn festivals, corn mazes—corn, corn, corn from roadside stands. We’d soak the ears, husks on, in water and salt, then grill, then eat with butter and salt. A Jersey summer pleasure.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “At Summit House, we’re making a corn-and-coconut gazpacho from roasted corn and aromatic spices like fennel and lemongrass. The base is corncob stock and coconut water. There’s young coconut brunoise in it. That sounds like a crazy superhero movie, doesn’t it? But it means ‘cooked in butter.’ At your table, the gazpacho is poured over a clump of Jonah crab with mildly hot peppers and Jersey popcorn.”
How I prepare corn at home: “At home, fresh ears with husks on get boiled in salted water, then lavished with herb butter with chives, parsley, and grated lemon peel.”
Summit House, 395 Springfield Avenue, Summit, 908-273-6000
Ryan De Persio • Kitchen Step, Jersey City
What makes Jersey corn so great: “Corn reminds me of summer barbecues and just being a kid. It has been a staple in my house ever since my childhood in Nutley.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “We use Jersey sweet corn with our local black sea bass. It’s pan-roasted and served with fennel confit and rhubarb emulsion. On top of the fish—a delicious corn salsa. First we slowly roast the whole cob so it caramelizes. The we shave the kernels and mix them with scallion, mint, chilies and lime.”
How I prepare corn at home: “At home in Wyckoff it’s typically simple. Char the cobs, in their husks, on the grill. Then rub with butter and sea salt. My kids love it.”
Kitchen Step, 500 Jersey Avenue, 201-721-6225
What makes Jersey corn so great: “Jersey sweet corn is all-around special. I have fond memories of being a kid in Passaic and loving those little plastic yellow corn holders. The ones you poke right into the ends of a freshly boiled ear to hold onto while you roll the ear over a stick of butter. It’s sweet and savory and messy and delicious. I’ve never outgrown the sheer fun of corn.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “At South+Pine, we’re celebrating corn from ear to ear! Our diners can’t get enough of our Jersey corn and green chile empanadas. They come with roasted tomatillo sauce, avocado crema, and salty cotija cheese on top. These empanadas are crispy, gooey, hot pockets of Jersey love.”
How I prepare corn at home: “I love to grill corn on the cob in their husks. They steam and get a little smokiness from the grill. Peel the ears, smother them in butter, and sprinkle a little crunchy sea salt on top. Such a summer treat.”
South+Pine American Eatery, 90 South Street, Morristown; 862-260-9700
Sanjeev Kumar • Moghul, Edison
What makes Jersey corn so great: “Local is the best, especially in the Garden State. At Moghul, many of our ingredients, especially spices, come from India and all over the world. But when we can spotlight something Jersey, we jump at the chance. We celebrate Jersey corn because it’s not just great on its own, but because its natural sweetness is the perfect complement to the flavors of our cuisine.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “We have quite a few corn dishes on our summer menu. Makai Butta ka Kabab is Jersey baby corn marinated in fresh spices, ground and grilled on a skewer. It’s served with ripe mango, green onion and mint chutney. A one-of-a-kind dish. Then we have Mutter Chali ke Kabab, Jersey corn and green pea patties with mango chutney. Makai Pudina Butta ka Shorba is a soup with slightly crispy roasted corn kernels and butter-seared baby corn. And we have a corn dessert. Makai Badam Gud ka Halwa is a thick corn pudding with almond paste, raw sugar, and a touch of fennel. It’s slow-cooked in milk and, to me, the way to end a meal at Moghul.”
How I prepare corn at home: “My corn dish at home is simply corn. Grilled and slathered with cumin, salt and lime.”
Moghul, 1655 Oak Tree Road #195, 732-549-5050
Bryan Gregg • Blue Morel, Morristown
Blue Morel chef Bryan Gregg’s Jersey scallops with Jersey corn. Photo: Courtesy of Blue Morel
What makes Jersey corn so great: “What I love about Jersey sweet corn is not just its flavor but its versatility. For me, Jersey corn evokes Chatham childhood memories of going to farm stands and having a running bet with my father and grandfather on who could eat the most ears. As a chef now, I know that local ingredients are the best, especially in the Garden State.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “As soon as Jersey corn is available, it finds its way onto Blue Morel’s menu, in soups, sauces, salads, entrées, sides, desserts. We keep changing it up, because the people want corn. Right now, it’s being served in three different preparations: corn bisque with lobster, charred tomatoes, and basil; grilled scallops with charred corn and locally foraged chanterelle mushrooms; and on our cookie plate, as cornmeal shortbread with caramelized kernels and cherry bits.”
How I prepare corn at home: “My two sons want their Jersey corn boiled and then basted in butter. That’s the ticket. I always tell them the best way to eat anything that good is simply done, letting the ingredient speak for itself.”
Blue Morel in the Westin Governor Morris, 2 Whippany Road, 973-451-2619
Jamie Knott • Saddle River Inn, Saddle River
Saddle River Inn chef Jamie Knott’s local swordfish atop corn purée. Photo courtesy of Saddle River Inn
What makes Jersey corn so great: “There’s nothing not to love about it. It’s the best, just like Jersey tomatoes and Jersey people. Duh.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “We’re spotlighting Jersey sweet corn in an entrée: locally line-caught swordfish with seasonal Jersey peaches, heirloom tomatoes, and basil. It’s all atop a luscious corn purée. And we just added a corn crème brûlée with blueberry gel plus caramel popcorn for fun.”
How I prepare corn at home: “It’s super-simple. Water-salt-boil, butter-salt-eat, smile ear-to-ear. Pun intended!”
Saddle River Inn, 2 Barnstable Court, 201-825-4016
Aishling Stevens • Restaurant Latour, Hamburg
What makes Jersey corn so great: “Corn is nostalgic for so many, especially in New Jersey. It calls to mind the happiest days of my childhood on a farm in Allentown, Monmouth County. Corn invokes memories of summer, heat, the beach, and eating outdoors.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “Corn’s high starch content gives it integrity. It’s what causes corn to shine through a recipe, retaining its texture and flavor. My current bison entrée at Restaurant Latour highlights the strength and versatility of the sweet vegetable. …First we juice the corn kernels to make a naturally sweet purée to complement the meat. It’s also delicious on its own or in other dishes. As for the corn pulp that remains after juicing, we dehydrate that until it’s crisp. Then it’s blitzed [pulse-blended] and seasoned. The now crispy corn goes into a salad that sits atop the bison along with mustard greens from our garden, pickled mustard seeds, and pickled garden squash. The corn’s crunch adds just the right texture to the salad. But we’re not done with corn for the bison dish! We use it to create corn-coconut gel for the meat. We do this by shaving kernels from the cob and poaching them in coconut milk. The kernels are then blitzed and seasoned with fermented anchovy sauce, fresh lime, and salt, creating unami-laced acidity that brings depth of flavor to the sweet corn and bison combo.”
How I prepare corn at home: “Cooking fresh Jersey sweet corn at home in peak season is much simpler. I like it grilled on the cob, finished with lashings of creamy butter, good sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.”
Restaurant Latour, 1 Wild Turkey Way, 844-205-1857
Bruce Johnson • Harvest Restaurants, multiple restaurants
Chef Bruce Johnson’s Jersey corn chowder at Agricola. Photo: Courtesy of Harvest Restaurants
What makes Jersey corn so great: “Fresh Jersey sweet corn brings to my mind a local farm stand on our way back from the beach when I was a kid. I’ll never forget the fun of shucking the ears and the sweet aroma of corn cooking, whether grilled or boiled. And then the joy of rolling the corn on a stick of sweet butter and a sprinkling it with sea salt before devouring it! I could easily eat three cobs before taking a pause.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurants: “At Harvest Restaurants, we’re all about New Jersey ingredients, and we go long on Jersey sweet corn every summer. All Roots Steakhouse locations are serving roasted Jersey summer corn with shallots, basil and heirloom cherry tomatoes. At Agricola Eatery in both Princeton and Morristown, you can order a sweet corn wedge salad with heirloom tomato, bacon, pickled red onion, feta from Fulper Family Farmstead in Lambertville and buttermilk blue cheese from Valley Shepherd Creamery in Long Valley. Agricola is also serving Roasted summer corn chowder with poblano peppers and red potato.”
How I prepare corn at home: My children, Sarah and Samuel, love sweet corn as much as I do. I like making pasta with fresh corn kernels, white wine, garlic, shallots, fresh cracked black pepper, EVOO, and a squeeze of fresh lemon. I recently had an amazing vacation in New Mexico, where I fell for their large-kernel elote corn on the cob. My home version is with Jersey corn, of course. It’s simple: roll the grilled cob in sweet butter, Fulper feta, chopped chives, and Tajin seasoning. If you don’t have Tajin, make your own by mixing chili powder and sea salt in a little lime juice.”
Seadon Shouse • Halifax, Hoboken
What makes Jersey corn so great: “I’m from Atlantic Canada, where we try to grow corn, but Jersey sweet corn is one of the best varieties I’ve ever tasted. It’s unique: so tasty, with that kiss of sugar, and a crunchy-outside, soft-inside texture that retains its complexity through the cooking.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “I love that corn can star in so many kinds of dishes: from soups and salads to desserts and, here at Halifax, a cocktail. My sous-chef and I are so inspired by Jersey sweet corn that we worked it into a cocktail. Many cocktails get their sweetness from so-called ‘simple syrup,’ which is cooked-down refined sugar and water. But we‘re getting sugar from fresh corn. What we do is take the outer husks and the cobs, which most people just compost, but they have a lot of corn flavor and sweetness. First we char them with a torch to add a touch of smoke. Then we simmer them, with corn kernels added, in water and some white sugar. Then we fish everything out when the water gets syrupy. This corn-infused simple syrup brings a luscious corn flavor to our cocktail, which we call the Elysian Maize. The cocktail is named for Elysian Field, a grassy area just steps from Halifax, where the first-ever organized baseball game was played in 1846. Jersey sweet corn was the original baseball stadium snack, and popcorn and Cracker Jacks were also sold to fans. You can no longer catch a baseball game at Elysian Field, but its city view is pretty amazing. We do more than cocktails with Jersey corn! We serve a skin-on, pan-seared Norwegian salmon filet with corn risotto made with pickled shiitakes, shallots, garlic, Sauvignon blanc, and Parmesan. Our smoked Amish chicken’s sauce is a thickened velouté with corn stock, grain mustard and dill. And on the side, succotash with Jersey squash and sweet red peppers.”
How I prepare corn at home: “At home, corn prep is straightforward. Grill, butter, salt, eat.”
Halifax in the W Hotel, 225 River Street, 201-253-2500
Anthony DeVanzo • Bici, Ramsey
What makes Jersey corn so great: “Where do I begin? Its flavor is consistently distinctive, its sugar level just perfect. It’s not only sky-high quality, it’s super-local, which a Jersey chef absolutely loves.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “I like making corn succotash as an accompaniment to many dishes, especially local seafood. Corn and crab fritters with an herb aioli are always a winner as well. Later in the season, going into September, I’ll do a sweet corn pudding served with Jersey berry jam and sugar cookies.”
How I prepare corn at home: “It’s likely to be boiled in salted water, nice and simple, to show off the corn’s flavor. And I’ll occasionally grill the ears, shave off the kernels and season them with lime and cilantro. Then I’ll toss them into a salad. Summer in a bowl!”
Bici, 61 East Main Street, 201-962-9015
Brendan Ullmann and Tyler O’Toole • The Circle, Fredon
What makes Jersey corn so great: Brendan: “For both Tyler and me, our favorite thing about sweet Jersey corn is that it adjusts so well to so many cooking preparations. At The Circle, we’ve used it in all different kinds of dishes: in soups, salads and sides, corn purées and sauces, and in desserts like house-made corn ice cream with caramel corn.”
How we prepare corn at the restaurant: Brendan: “Right now, we’re doing this amazing Jersey corn-filled agnolotti pasta. It sits atop a reduced bacon and corn brodo [broth] and is dressed with charred corn and pecorino-basil foam. What’s super-cool about this dish is that we use the corn husk too. We burn it and mix some with our pasta dough to turn the agnolotti an eye-catching charcoal color.” Tyler: Now that The Circle has a liquor license, Jersey sweet corn is a cocktail ingredient. We’re serving a Oaxacan Old Fashioned with smoky mezcal that we infuse with corn and husks. It’s really an adventurous drink. Our diners with a taste for creative artisanal cocktails love it.”
How we prepare corn at home? Tyler: “We agree that, at home, grilling corn on the barbecue is always the way to go. With sea salt and, for me, good Irish butter. I’m an O’Toole, after all.”
The Circle, 310 NJ-94, 973-862-6410
Antonio De Ieso • Fiorentini, Rutherford
Fiorentini chef Antonio De Ieso’s Point Pleasant scallops with Jersey corn and peas. Photo courtesy of Katerina Akafor
What makes Jersey corn so great: “I’m from Florence, and Italians see corn as an American product. Mainly popcorn, which Italians like. Probably everyone does! In New Jersey, we’re lucky to have this fantastic corn right here. Sweetness with texture is such a pleasure for the palate, which craves variety and contrast. And corn has it all: crunchiness and softness. Sweetness and earthiness.For a New Jersey chef, it’s an incredible ingredient, so totally farm-to-table. But it’s best the day it’s picked.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurant: “At Fiorentini, the whole kitchen peels the corn as soon as it comes in. We steam it right away in our combi oven and then Cryovac [vacuum-seal] it and freeze. It keeps 100 percent of its flavor if we cook it in the next two days. Which we do. We invent Fiorentini dishes with this awesome corn every summer. Our current scallop entrée dish is all Jersey. The scallops are wild-caught off Point Pleasant and the local roasted corn is mixed with fresh Jersey peas, mint and cucumber. At Fiorentini’s chef’s table dinners, I’m serving meaty King crab with a thick velouté sauce of Jersey corn and black garlic. And for dessert, we have a sweetened cornbread made with Jersey corn. …Another corn dessert is our corn budino [pudding] with local blueberries. It’s on top of a kind of chocolate bar we make with cornflakes.”
How I prepare corn at home: “My wife, Brenda, is from Peru, which might be the vegetable capital of the world, with thousands of varieties of potatoes alone. And she likes Jersey sweet corn as much as I do. We love grilled corn on the cob. It’s so American and so Jersey.”
Fiorentini, 98 Park Avenue, 973-721-3404
Bill Roll • Bill Roll Catering, Manasquan
What makes Jersey corn so great: “It’s so very important to me and my family. My wife’s grandfather, Donald Conrow, was a second-generation corn farmer with the family farm on Colts Neck Road in Farmingdale. Farmer Donald Conrow was truly the patriarch of the family. He cared for his fields, which were loaded with Jersey sweet corn, for over 50 years. Nothing made him prouder than walking the fields before dinner and picking the freshest corn to bring over to friends’ homes. He was passionate about the corn being freshly picked since it loses its sweetness very quickly. Around him, you’d better not even consider grocery-store corn. Farmers are as vital as ever to the Garden State, and local chefs like myself perpetually search for the sweetest and freshest corn. Luckily, we always find it.”
How I prepare corn at home: “As a chef and dad, I love to make ravioli with my kids and stuff them with sweet corn and ricotta cheese, then serve with local lobster meat, garden basil, and brown butter. That’s an absolute home run.”
Roll is a culinary instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY; Culinary Instructor at Culinary Education Center, Asbury Park; and Brookdale Community College, Lincroft.
Chef Bill Roll Catering, Manasquan; 732-803-7275
What makes Jersey corn so great: “What Jersey kid doesn’t love our sweet corn? It was one of the few vegetables I liked. My folks would buy bushels of corn, driving past the farms in our town of Hazlet, or Holmdel, or Colts Neck. Those farms are pretty much gone now, but there’s still plenty of sweet corn. After I became a chef and was cooking in France, the French chefs looked down on corn. They saw it as animal feed. Ha! For me, Jersey sweet corn is one of bature’s miracles, uniquely delicious and so adaptable.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurants: “In my restaurants, we have a secret way to amp up our corn dishes: we add shaved cobs—that’s right, the naked cobs—to chicken stock and make a broth. Then we cook the corn kernels in that. You can also use the broth to make corn sauce or purée, corn cream, corn bisque, you name it. Well, I guess it’s not a secret any more. Right now at Red Horse in Rumson, we’re doing a succotash. That’s a Narragansett Native American word and recipe—they’d simmer corn and add beans and squash. Ours has sweet red peppers and fava beans. At 1776 in Morristown, our current risotto is made with corn kernels in addition to the rice, white wine, and butter. The corn expands the flavor and adds a subtle sweetness.”
How I prepare corn at home: “First, I soak ears of corn in water with their husks—their jacket of leaves—still on. This tenderizes the corn and brings out the natural sugar. Not to mention, soaked leaves won’t catch on fire. Then I grill the ears, husks intact. And I’ll have salt and chipotle butter or lime butter on the table.”
Stuart Marx • Pastry Director, David Burke Hospitality, multiple restaurants
Polenta cake with Jersey corn ice cream and, yes, bacon, from David Burke’s pastry boss, Stuart Marx. Photo courtesy of David Burke Hospitality
What makes Jersey corn so great: “Well, do I ever love Jersey sweet corn! For a pastry chef, it’s a dream, because it’s sweet and textural, with its very own great flavor.”
How I prepare corn at the restaurants: “I’m making three pretty unusual corn desserts now. One is an olive oil polenta cake. Don’t be put off by the olive oil; in a dessert, mild olive oil adds a delicious earthiness to the batter. I serve this with roasted Jersey corn ice cream, a thick sweet corn crème anglaise, candied corn kernels and—I’m not kidding—a strip of maple-infused smoked bacon. Another seasonal corn dessert is a tall, parfait-layered sundae with the corn ice cream. Plus we have a Jersey blueberry compote with a tart-like crust of lemon cornmeal sandies, a good number of the candied corn kernels and a touch of whipped cream. These micro-seasonal corn desserts will be off the menu. So ask your server, at any David Burke restaurant, if the kitchen has them. For insiders only!”
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