Celebrating the Farmer's Market

This past Friday, we hosted the chefs from our local Hilton Garden right here at the Copper Kettle. They created a variety of small dishes inspired by the Farmer’s Market items offered just down the block. For the sampling they used the fresh corn, baby potatoes, and spices bought only minutes earlier. One especially delicious and simple dish involved fresh string beans and peppers, lightly crisped in a wok strait off our shelf. While all of this tasty fresh produce filled our bellies, we agreed you should all have the opportunity to enjoy it as well. This got our minds wandering toward similar recipes found in a cookbook called Big Small Plates written by Cindy Pawlcyn. The book highlights the use of “small plates” of three or four dishes to create an entire meal. The idea is for everyone to sample a few bites of each creation; a wonderful idea for everything from parties to family meals. We encourage you to stop by the Farmer’s Market and pick up these fresh ingredients for a “small plate” dinner tonight!
Here is a recipe from Big Small Plates very similar to what the amazing Hilton chefs created Friday:

Grilled “Street” Corn: Serves six
3-4 tablespoons homemade or high quality mayonnaise
½ teaspoon minced garlic
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 ears garden fresh corn, husks left on
1 lime, cut into 6 wedges
“ (Pre-grilling) Stir the mayonnaise and garlic together in a small dish. Mix the salt and cayenne together in another small dish or in a spare salt shaker. Put the Parmesan cheese on a small plate for rolling.”
“When you are ready to serve, grill the corn over a hot fire for twelve to fifteen minutes, rolling it around so it cooks evenly. If you have other food to grill for the meal, move the corn to the side of the grill. To serve, shuck the corn and break each ear in half. If the corn has cooled down too much, run the cobs over the grill. Stick corn holders on ends, brush with mayo, dust with salt and cayenne, and roll in the Parmesan. Serve warm with individual lime slices.”

We also suggest cutting the corn off the cob and mixing the ingredients together in a bowl. In Mexico, venders supply hot sauce to pour over the mixture for additional flavor. We suggest Cholula!
For a backyard party, serve it in plastic cups with spoons!