Sweet Corn and Wine

				From: leslie.borden@comcast.net Subject: Wine Question Date: May 28, 2003 10:33:30 AM EDT To: aroundthekitchen@drwoonline.com Reply-To: aroundthekitchen@drwoonline.com Hello, ATK-ers, As you’ll recall, the two things in life I don’t “get” are sports fandom and wine and food pairing (I’m a little hazy on time zones sometimes, too, especially that pesky international date line). As summer approaches (ha! Saying that as I look out the window is like second marriage, a triumph of hope over experience), I’m thinking ahead to sweet corn. Not being as pure as Dr. Wo, I actually bought some from Sutton Place, god knows where it came from, but I wanted a quick corn saute to go with some steaks that Rob was grilling. It was surprisingly good, not starchy, quite sweet. I assume that the mad hybridizers have been at work on that sweet vs. starchy problem. Anyway, I remembered that I’ve never had a wine that really tastes right with sweet corn; it’s not like artichokes, which do that funny thing to your tongue (although I did some in the Roman style a couple of weeks ago, and a glass of merlot wasn’t bad with them), but the corn is too, well, sweet, but also with that light fruity undertone, and of course not to forget the salted butter. Sooo, does anyone out there have an idea or recommendation about wine with sweet corn? Or does one just match the wine to whatever is being eaten with the corn, i.e., a big deal cowboy steak, or nice rare grilled lamb, or soft silky pulled pork barbecue? Oh, and is it worth drinking wine at all with pulled pork, or do you just crack a brewski? If anyone is interested, btw, Cook’s Illustrated broke the code on pulled pork about 6 years ago, and I’ve got the recipe if anyone wants it. Here’s how I did the corn saute, by the way: For 2 people. Cut the kernels off two ears of corn (and don’t they go flying? It’s almost as bad as fish scales or Christmas tree needles). Dice most of a red bell pepper and a small onion. Heat vegetable oil in a skillet to almost smoking and saute the onion till just turning brown. Add the corn and the red pepper and saute until the corn is tender, maybe 5 - 7 minutes, and is taking on a little color. At this point, there are three ways you can go with it: (1) just plate it up and eat it as is (s&p to taste); (2) add half a cup or so of your favorite salsa (I used Mrs. Renfro’s Roasted, which is nice and smoky); or (3) add 1/2 a cup or so of heavy cream - this is creamed corn for grownups. You could also add some hotter chiles if you want hair on your chest. See you around the (cold, damp) kitchen, lb