Elotes!

Apparently when the cat and kitty are away, the mouse shall ... cook. Since H&d left last Monday I have been unusually prolific in the kitchen. First Bloody Marys, then beans & rice, jalapeno lemonade, chicken stir fry and now: ¡Elotes!, the Mexican street corn I have grown to adore.

Making this delicious treat was remarkably simple, yet I still managed to mess it up. Actually, the only thing I didn't do well was the grilling of the corn itself, and that's probably due to the fact that I didn't use the grill. Instead I roasted them in the oven. I shucked off the husks first too and maybe that was a mistake as well. Anyway, the kernels shrank a little and a few places got burned. I think I should've picked up some fresher corn too - these had been sitting around a while.

But imperfectly cooked corn aside, the rest was simple but fantastically delicious: mix about two Tablespoons of mayo with a teaspoon of lime juice and set it aside, then combine 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp cumin and 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper with 2 Tbl grated parmesan cheese (or queso fresco if you have some readily available). Brush the corn with the lime mayo and then sprinkle the chili cheese mix on top, and bam! Hyde Park is suddenly Pilsen.