We're at the apex of the summer vegetable harvest, and there's no time like the present to stock up on favorites like zucchini, tomatoes and corn. Especially corn.
Shuck a freshly picked ear of corn this time of year, and you'll find plump little kernels as white and yellow as the noontime sun. Biting into a juicy, lightly sweet ear is celebrating the best of summer's bounty. When it's time to cook, no one will fault you for simply slathering a grilled cob with butter and a fairy dusting of salt. Perfection.
Then when you're ready to use the corn in other dishes, shuck ears with abandon and jump in. To harvest the golden kernels, stand your naked cobs upright and glide your knife down the length of the ear _ the closer to the cob, the better. Don't toss the cobs. They do wonders for homemade stocks.
Now, take your newly released kernels and experiment with recipes. Here, corn finds its perfect companion with juicy shrimp. Truly, most dishes featuring these ingredients highlight the harmony between them, like these corn and shrimp pancakes. The perfect summertime appetizer, they are somehow capable of dressing up or down your summer occasions.
