Rivertown Bistro A Study in Corn

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Shuck and clean the corn. Lightly coat with butter, season with salt and pepper and wrap in foil. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Allow the corn to cool, then cut the kernels from the cobs and reserve both.
3. Add the cream, ¾ cup milk, ham scraps, black pepper and cornstarch to a saucepan. Add the corn cobs and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, purée the corn kernels with the remaining 1 cup milk. Add the corn purée to the saucepan and return to a simmer. Add the egg yolks and cook until thickened. Strain, season with salt and pepper to taste and chill.

Sweet Corn Fritter

1. Shuck the corn and cut the kernels from the cobs. Divide the kernels in half.
2. Purée half of the kernels and cook over medium heat until the excess moisture evaporates. In a separate pan, cook the remaining whole kernels until the excess moisture evaporates.
3. Combine both portions of corn in a mixing bowl. Add the Parmesan, chives, salt, pepper, jalapeño, beaten egg, flour and cornstarch and mix until combined.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick sauté pan over medium high heat. Divide the mixture into 4 fritters and cook for about 2 minutes per side. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Ham Tuile

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap each slice of country ham around a cannoli mold or a piece of heavy duty foil wrapped around a wooden dowel.
2. Place on a silicone-lined baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes, or until crisp. Let cool completely before carefully removing from the molds.

Popped Sorghum

1. Add the corn oil and sorghum to a heavy-bottomed pot with a tight-fitting lid. Cook over medium high heat, shaking the pan constantly, until the popping slows. Remove from heat and set aside.

BBQ Sweet Corn & Shrimp Sauté

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and corn and sauté for 2 minutes.
2. Add the scallions, country ham, tomato and asparagus and sauté for 1 minute.
3. Add the white wine and cook until the shrimp are cooked through. Stir in the barbecue sauce, then remove from heat and swirl in the butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To Serve

1. Place one hot sweet corn fritter on each plate. Pipe the corn pudding into a ham tuile and press popped sorghum onto each end. Place the filled ham tuile on top of the corn fritter.
2. Spoon the BBQ Sweet Corn & Shrimp Sauté around the fritter and garnish with pea tendrils.