There are so many things to love about summertime – longer days of sunshine, barbeques, swimming and all of the delicious foods that Mother Nature produces from June to September.  I don’t discriminate; peas, eggplant, peppers, peaches, plums, melon, zucchini, berries, I love them all.  I eat so many tomatoes that by the time September comes around that my skin has a pink hue.

I do, however, have a personal favorite: corn.  Very few foods excite me as much as the sweet, juicy flavor of summer corn.

Most people simply boil or grill corn on the cob, which are both delicious, but let me suggest a few other ways to include corn in other dishes:

• Try cutting it off the cob, puree in the blender and then add to polenta for an intense corn flavor
• Mix kernels into vanilla ice cream for an interesting twist
• Grill, but add a few lemon verbena leaves inside the husk
• Save the cobs (after the kernels have been cut off) and simmer in water for 20 minutes for an awesome corn stock – use as a base for soups or even risotto
• Add to pancake or muffin batters

The following recipe for Corn & Blueberry Pancakes is a great summer offering and one of my favorite ways to ease into a Sunday.

When the end of September approaches, I feel the loss of summer for a few moments, but only until I remember butternut squash, mushrooms and Brussels sprouts are just around the corner. Mother Nature never lets me down.

Corn & Blueberry Pancakes
Pair with Kendall-Jackson Vintner’s Reserve Riesling

These corn & blueberry pancakes are great served for brunch. The slight corn flavor in the pancakes complements the crisp and nearly dry Vintner’s Reserve Riesling.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup semolina flour
• ½ tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 ear fresh corn
• 1 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. browned butter
• 6 oz. fresh blueberries

Method

1. In a medium size bowl, sift flours, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt. Set aside.
2. Carefully, cut the kernels off of the ear of corn. Place the kernels in a blender and puree until smooth. Add the milk and eggs to the blender and mix at medium speed. Slowly add warm browned butter and mix until fully incorporated. Pour mixture in a medium size bowl.
3. Add reserved dry ingredients to liquid mixture in two stages and mix well. Gently stir in blueberries. (Optional: ½ cup fresh whole corn kernels can also be stirred in at this point for added texture and corn flavor).
4. Pour ¼ cup batter on a non-stick skillet greased with butter or cooking spray. Cook for 3 minutes or until golden brown, flip and cook for another 3 minutes or until done.