I honestly think grilling is one of my favorite things of spring and summer. Even with the extreme heat we’ve been experiencing I continue to put grilled recipes on our menu rotation. To me, grilling is so much fun, it adds a fun and new twist to meals, it’s a fairly quick method of cooking things and it’s adds wonderful flavor to any food.
Typically when people think of grilling they think of steaks, burgers, hotdogs, chicken and so on. While those are all very popular items to grill, more and more people are taking their vegetables to the grill. Grilling vegetables is not only simple, but it adds another element of flavor to already delicious, fresh vegetables.
Throughout the spring and summer I try to utilize as many fresh vegetables from our garden as possible. Since we are always fortunate to have an abundance of fresh vegetables on hand I try to think of different ways to prepare and enjoy them. I know grilling isn’t anything new but it does add a different flavor to the vegetables that can’t be achieved in other cooking methods.
I love corn in any form, but fresh corn on the cob is one of my favorites. It’s subtly sweet, slightly rich and perfect natural or with a touch of butter and sprinkle of salt. Although I could eat fresh corn all day long, I do enjoy playing with flavors and pairing different flavors together. This time, instead of grilling corn and spreading plain ol’ butter on there, I decided to spice things up a bit and make a simple compound butter. I loved the way the flavors all married together and complimented one another so nicely. The sweet corn topped by slightly spicey, tart butter was delicious. The cayenne pepper added the perfect amount of spice and was offset by the addition of fresh lime juice, and bright earthy cilantro. Simple yet so delicious.
Grilled Corn with Spicy Cilantro Lime Butter
Ingredients:
For the spicy cilantro lime butter-
2 Tbsp butter, room temperature
1/8-1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper (depending on spice preference)
2 Tsp fresh squeezed lime juice
3 1/2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper, to taste
For the grilled corn-
4 Ears fresh corn, cleaned and silks removed
Vegetable oil
Fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)
Directions:
For the butter-
Place the softened butter in a bowl. Add the cayenne pepper, lime juice and cilantro and stir to completely combine. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and to to incorporate. Roll the butter into a small log, or ball, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator.
Preheat grill to a low heat.
Meanwhile, liberally brush corn with vegetable oil. Place the prepared corn on the preheated grill. Grill on each sideo for 3-4 minutes, some of the kernals will char slightly and that is fine. Once cooked completely, remove from grill and top each ear of corn with the compound butter. Sprinkle with additional cilantro, if desired, and serve immediately.
Recipes source: A Lynsey original
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