Charred Corn Crêpes with Tomatoes & Honey Rum Brown Butter

Eating this is like eating summer. Not sunscreen lotion, grass clippings or algae-infested lake water—although I’m pretty sure they serve a cocktail like that in some hipster bar on Capitol Hill, fresh grass tincture anyone? This dish only tastes of the absolute best of summer’s bounty, concentrated sunshine on a plate: golden, sweet yellow corn with a hard, smoky char from the grill and tomatoes still warm from the vine, full of mineraly earth and water from the backyard hose.

I am of the persuasion that brunch is the best meal of the day, because what other eating occasion combines breakfast, lunch, dessert and booze all in one sitting? This dish is no exception. The savory crepes get a modern face-lift with masa harina, the nutty corn flour used to make tortillas (not to be confused with corn meal) and leftover grilled corn scraped off the cob for a doubly-corny crepe.

 

This preparation eschews the traditional, complicated filling in favor of unadorned, chopped tomatoes. The only way you can get away with such a simple topping is using only the sweetest, juiciest sun-ripened beauties you can find. No peeling, seeding, or even seasoning is necessary beyond a generous sprinkling of flaky sea salt.

 

 

To tie things together and bring it to that whole decadent-boozy-sweet-brunch level is a swirl of saucy brown butter, rum and clover honey. Please promise me you won’t let even a drop go to waste and swipe a ripe strawberry or two through the pan before you wash it (pro-level tip, you’re welcome). Bonus points for enjoying this on the patio, with good friends and some strong Bloody Mary's. Summer never tasted sweeter.

 

 

Charred Corn Crêpes with Tomatoes & Honey Rum Brown Butter

 

No doubt other super ripe summer fruit would work equally as well as tomatoes here: peaches, plums, cherries, blackberries, etc.

 

Serves 6

 

Crêpes

150g (1 cup) charred corn kernels, about 1 cob

60g (½ cup) masa harina

60g (½ cup) all-purpose flour

300g (1¼ cups) milk

100g (2 large) eggs

56g (4 tablespoons) butter

4g (¾ teaspoon) kosher salt

 

Brown Butter Honey

113g (½ cup) butter

170g (½ cup) honey

56 (¼ cup) rum

 

To serve

3-4 super ripe tomatoes, diced

Charred corn kernels

Flaky sea salt

 

For the crêpe batter, place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Refrigerate the batter for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

 

Heat a nonstick skillet or crepe pan over medium high heat. Pour in ¼ cup crêpe batter and swirl to coat the pan in an even layer. If the first crêpe doesn’t completely cover the bottom of the pan, add a little more batter next time. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the top is no longer shiny. Peel the edge of the crêpe off the pan with a spatula or your fingers and flip it over; the crêpe should be golden in spots. Cook the other side for 1 minute, then remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter.

 

Continue to stack the cooked crêpes on the plate until all the batter is used up; you should have 10-12 crêpes. If you’re not going to use them immediately, wrap the stack in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 5 days. For longer storage, stack the crêpes between layers of plastic wrap, then double wrap the entire stack and place in a zip top bag and freeze for up to 2 months.

 

Melt the butter in a small saucepot over medium heat. Cook the butter for several minutes, swirling it frequently. Watch it closely as it starts to brown; look for little caramel brown flecks of milk solids in the bottom of the pan and a nutty aroma. Immediately add the honey and rum and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.

 

To serve, fold the crêpes into quarters and place two on each plate. Top each with a pile of tomatoes and corn, then drizzle with the honey butter and sprinkle with a little sea salt.