One of my fave snacks in NYC is the corn on the cob from Cafe Habana in Nolita. It’s Mexican-Style grilled corn that is slathered in a creamy concoction, dusted with cayenne pepper, rolled in cojita cheese and drizzled with lime juice. SO GOOD.
Since I’m on a temporary ban from visiting NYC (no unnecessary travels before Paris) and was really jonesing for the corn, I did some google searching to figure out how to recreate this yumminess in my own kitchen. Corn season is just kicking into gear in Ontario so we had a few cobs in our fridge, I’ve been hoarding limes for some reason so I had a bunch of those and I figured the rest would be easy to acquire.
Since I live in an apartment grilling isn’t an option so I needed a way to simulate grilled corn with my oven. Roasting is such a great way to achieve that! You just stick the corn in the coven husks and all and roast for about 20 minutes. Not the best method for a hot apartment but if you have AC then you’re golden. Most recipes pointed me towards a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream for the creamy goodness which I wasn’t opposed to. I didn’t have cojita cheese but I did have queso fresco which I realize are TOTALLY different but I figured that I could make it work.
The results were great. It was nice to have a fun started to my Mexican meal. Regular corn is great but sometimes you want an extra kick. This was really easy to make and is one of those dishes that totally impresses people. I’m kind of drooling just thinking about this. True story.
Enjoy!
Mexican Corn ala Cafe Habana
Corn on the Cob, husked
Slather:
1 part mayonnaise
1 part sour cream or crema fresca
Garnish:
Cotija Cheese, grated
Cayenne Pepper, Chili Powder
Lime, cut into wedges
Husk the corn and char the ears on a grill.
Mix the sour cream/crema fresca with the mayonnaise.
While the corn is still hot, slather it with the cream mixture.
Roll the corn in grated cotija cheese.
Give it a healthy sprinkling of cayenne pepper and chili powder.
Serve with lime wedges.
(Recipe borrowed from TasteBook)
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Hey, great blog!…and I am going to San Miguel de Allende in Spetember, and have read about this fab corn creation you buy on the streets which I cannot wait to try…I’m gonna try to make some before I go…thanks for the recipe.
booo on nyc ban!
Yum-that looks so good! BTW- I love that you used the word “jonesing”… I thought I was the only person around who uses that expression 😉
wow i just stumbled upon your cob. must try i love cobs + i love cheese ~ cheers
Oh how random. I worked for a posthouse in SoHo for nearly two years, and Cafe Habana was a regular choice, with most people choosing the corn if they didn’t want a full meal. Thanks!
hhhmmm m m m
This looks great! You can also grill your corn indoors on a ridged grill pan if you don’t want to turn the oven on during a hot spell. The grill pan works great. I look forward to looking at more of your posts. But I am also a food freack and am at work right now and have to get back to my stove and oven. Take care.
Patty
I am going to try this recipe immediately. It looks amazing.
I’m a NYC girl, so I’ll be eating this in no time. If it’s as good as the picture looks I shall be pleased.
Brilliant! I’m going to try making this at home. I haven’t had this in NYC but there is a place in Tiburon, California that serves corn prepared this way (though possibly with some variation). It is delicious and up until now I didn’t know where else I could find it. Now I know! I’ll check it out next time I’m in NY. If you’re ever in Northern California, check out Guaymas Restaurant in Tiburon. Their website is http://www.guaymasrestaurant.com. Lots of tasty treats. Can you recommend any must-try restaurants in Atlanta, Georgia? That’s next on our list of places to visit.
This looks so. As corn loses flavour quickly after picking this would be great for shop bought cobs.
Looks so good will need to taste it myself!
NOOO..I used to work over on Elizabeth St in Nolita, and I literally had the corn on the cob from Habana almost every day! I love it with extra chilli power…ugh so good! One of the best!
This looks good! I will go to El Ranchito and purchase the ingredients!
Now that really does look delicious….. Going to make one now…. Will have to use a different cheese though….. Ohhh Can’t wait… I love corn.
yum! thanks for the recipe!
oh my that looks absolutely mouth-watering. Salivation has begun.
Yummy! I’ve tried this so many times. In fact, we make them at home every now and then. In Mexico they sell a lot of these and mixed fruit on the streets with chili and lime. I think I rather have the corn with just the chili and lime though. I don’t like the mayo on it as much.