Creamed Elote with Fresno Aioli and Togarashi

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Split the peppers in half lengthwise so they will lay relatively flat. Remove the stems, seeds, and ribs. Place the pepper halves in a foil lined rimmed baking sheet skin side up. Bake until the skin is blistered over most of the surface, 15-25 minutes. Remove the peppers from the oven and carefully fold the edges of the foil to wrap the peppers up. Let sit until cool enough to handle then peel away the skin from each pepper half and discard. You should end up with about 1 tablespoon of roasted fresno peppers.

Step 2

In the small bowl of a food processor, add in the roasted peppers, mayonnaise, garlic and salt. Process the mixture until the peppers are finely chopped and evenly mixed into the mayonnaise, stopping to scrape down the side of the bowl as needed. Set aside.

Step 3

Heat the grill to high.

Step 4

Shuck the corn and rinse under cold water.

Step 5

Grill the corn over direct heat and cook, turning occasionally, until charred on all sides and fully tender, about 8-10 minutes total.

Step 6

Remove corn from the grill and let sit until cool enough to handle. For each cob, remove the kernels by standing the cob upright in a rimmed baking sheet and running a knife down the side of the corn cutting off the kernels as you go. Save 3 of the cobs. Set the cut kernels aside.

Step 7

In a large saucepan, add cream and the reserved corn cobs (breaking them in half if necessary so they fit in the pan). Bring the mixture to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Working with one corn cob at a time, pick up one cob from the pan using tongs. While holding the cob over the pan, run the back side of a knife down the cob to remove any extra cream and corn flavor. Discard the cobs.

Step 8

Return the pan to low heat and add the butter. When the butter is melted, whisk in the fresno pepper aioli. Then add the reserved kernels and stir until the corn is evenly coated and heated through. Season with salt to taste.

Step 9

Transfer the corn to a large serving dish or individual ramekins. Sprinkle with togarashi and then sprinkle with queso fresco. You can serve the corn as is or, if desired, put the serving dish or ramekins under the broiler for a few minutes to melt the queso fresco.