amish corn on the cob
when the amish make it , they have every item to be added , at the ready , so when the corn is cut from the cob in the deep bowl , the rest of the ingredients are dumped in , stirred and served within one minute of processing
the corn needs to be served hot so the butter melts and the cheese becomes soft
determine pot size to boil corn in , based on volume of corn cobs
i use a 6 quart dutch oven to boil 4 ears in , a large canning kettle to boil up to 12 ears
heat the water in your kettle to boiling
i do not salt my water for this , as i want the corn to be as sweet as possible and also , the amish i learned it from do not salt their water for this recipe , either
while the water is coming to a boil , shuck your corn but leave on at least 2" of the stalk end , so you have a handle to grab when you are cutting the corn kernels off off of the cob
the amish use a pot holder or kitchen towel to hold the hot corn but i use a handful of sturdy paper towels to save my hand from the heat
dice the swiss cheese into the same size as the corn kernels
place the diced cheese , the soft butter and the dash of cayenne pepper into a small serving bowl
set aside
this will be added to the corn bowl immediately after shucking
before placing corn cobs into the water , have the following items ready: a pair of tongs to remove the corn cobs
a pot holder / paper towels to hold the hot corn
a kitchen towel or paper towels to blot the water off of the corn cob and keep them warm
a super sharp knife to cut off the kernels , and a wide and deep heat-proof bowl to cut the corn kernels into
this deep bowl is where the cut corn and swiss cheese will be mixed and served
when the water has reached boiling , add corn cobs
heat for only 1-2 minutes , only until corn is almost just blanched
the kernels should be crisp and pop in your mouth when eaten
with the tongs , remove the hot corn cobs and place onto the kitchen towel , to blot the water and stay covered , to keep in their heat while processing each ear of corn
using the pot holder or paper towels , grab the handle of the corn and using the sharp knife , cut the kernels off the cob into the deep bowl , starting at the top and working down
the faster you work , the hotter the corn kernels will be
it's okay if they come off as "strips" of corn
they will break up when you stir them with the other ingredients
after the corn has been cut from the cooked ears , immediately add the diced swiss cheese , butter and cayenne pepper to the hot corn kernels and stir until the butter is melted , about 30 seconds
the cheese should still be in chunks , not melted
taste to see if a wee dash of more cayenne should be added
serve immediately
since this dish is to be served very hot , what the amish do is make mul
so , they'll make the 1st batch , eat it and enjoy it , make another batch , eat and enjoy that one , equally
as with many agricultural families , when a first crop comes in of anything: corn , tomatoes , potatoes , the farm family will make their first meal nothing but the featured food
so , with the first harvest of corn , the amish make this corn dish the entire meal , nothing else is served except a dessert
this is also the way that i grew up , so i found nothing odd about this celebration of the first season's harvest