Creamed Corn

To make the best creamed corn, you’ll need to start by shucking some ears. Fresh corn kernels maintain their texture better than even top-quality frozen corn, and you can extract a lot of flavor from the corn cob itself. The result is light-years tastier than any canned creamed corn you may have eaten.

To extract the corn’s juices, you’ll flip your knife to the dull side and scrape the sheared cobs, watching in wonder as the milky liquid pools into the bowl below. The technique may take a few tries to get right, but once you do, it’s simple. You’ll purée a portion of the parcooked corn kernels into the roux-thickened juices, but if you don’t have a traditional blender, you can easily use a stick blender or a potato masher until you’ve reached a texture you like.

While many recipes for creamed corn eschew dairy beyond butter, this one calls for a generous pour of heavy cream, making it a stand-out holiday side dish recipe. You can swap the cream for half-and-half or whole milk (or your favorite plant-based milk), but you may need to boil just a bit longer to reach the proper creamy consistency. We also recommend giving your pepper mill a good workout. Black pepper and corn share a particular affinity, the floral notes of the spice enhancing the corn’s earthy sweet flavor.

Homemade creamed corn welcomes customization. Add cayenne pepper or diced jalapeños to the cream sauce for a spicier take. Or ladle into ramekins, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and bake for 5 minutes at 400° to serve as individual cream-style corn casseroles. Either way you can prepare creamed corn up to a day in advance and store, covered, in the refrigerator. Warm in a large skillet over low heat, garnish with chives, and serve.