hot, cheesy corn dip with tortilla chips

Once every few months or so, I get a craving to make appetizers for dinner. Sometimes, I have to confess, this is just an excuse manufactured so that we can eat things like guacamole, bread & cheese, and stuffed mushrooms all at the same time and call it a meal. (Not that there’s anything wrong with that.)

We’ve been eating loads of sweet, tender corn on the cob lately, stuffing our faces with it while it’s peaking in season. I was browsing around for a different recipe entirely (something to use up my baseball bat zucchinis) when I came across this hot, cheesy corn dip and immediately forgot all plans to make anything else BUT this hot. cheesy. corn. dip. YUM.

Our dinner plans shifted immediately to appetizers, with this hot. cheesy. corn. dip. as its centerpiece. It’s so delicious and addictive; sweet with tender corn, flecked with red pepper and oozy with a mix of cheddar and jack cheese.

I left out the jalapeno and cayenne for the spice-averse 2-year old at our table, but next time I’m going to include it — I think the kick would be a perfect complement to the sweet corn and creamy cheese.

originally from Emeril Lagasse

As I noted above, I’ve made this without the spices for toddler mouths and it was quite delicious, but I think the extra kick from the jalapeno and cayenne would be even better. I’ve also used sour cream in place of the mayonnaise, and it works well.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 1/2 cups corn kernels (from about 4-5 ears fresh corn)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped yellow onions
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell peppers
1/4 cup chopped scallions (green and white parts)
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 to 1 cup mayonnaise [note: I used 1/2 cup sour cream and it was tasty]
4 ounces monterey jack or cheddar, shredded
4 ounces sharp cheddar, shredded
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
Tortilla chips, for dipping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat; add the corn, salt and pepper and cook until the corn kernels are a nice golden brown, about 5 minutes (or a little longer). Transfer the cooked corn to a large bowl, and melt the additional tablespoon of butter in the same skillet. Add the onions and peppers to the skillet and cook until softened. Add the scallions, jalapeno and garlic and cook an additional minute or two. Transfer mixture to bowl with corn.

Add mayonnaise (or sour cream), half the shredded cheddar, half the shredded monterey jack, and the cayenne to the bowl and stir to thoroughly combine. Transfer mixture to an ovenproof 8×8 pan. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.

Bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 10-12 minutes (you can turn on the broiler at the end to get a nice browning if needed.) Serve with tortilla chips.