I decided to try my hand at food fusion, combining ideas from two different cuisines: Peruvian and Creole. I was more than pleased with the result. I started with a traditional Creole maque choux, but instead of sweet corn I used Peruvian choclo. The end result? Choclo maque choux!
Choclo is not like the sweet corn we are used to in the US. The kernels are huge. Like finger-nail big. They are very also starchy, and have a thicker pericarp, or outer layer (I looked that up). And last, they aren’t sweet.
The sauce in maque choux is so delicious. It almost looks like mac-and-cheese, but there’s definitely not any cheese in this wonderful dish. It’s creamy and sweet, but not too sweet thanks to some hot sauce. And there’s a nice crunchy ‘pop’ as you bite into the huge choclo kernels.
I like to use my good ole trusty Dutch oven to make this choclo dish and pretty much darned near anything like it on my stovetop. It’s nice and big and sturdy. That extra weight helps it maintain and distribute heat perfectly. As an added bonus, it’s actually pretty easy to clean up too!
I cannot wait to make this again. It was fantastic. Also try my more authentic dish, choclo cumino.
Choclo Maque Choux
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups choclo you can substitute sweet corn
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion minced
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon hot sauce plus more for serving
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- 1 egg lightly beaten
Instructions
- Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and all of the oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and melt the butter.
- Add the corn, onion, sugar, and hot sauce.
- Let the corn cook until it is almost tender and it starts to turn golden brown, forming a light crust in the bottom of the pan.
- Stir in the broth, scraping up any bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Add the remaining butter and all of the cream. Stir.
- Cook, stirring, for 5 more minutes at a slow simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Remove from heat and stir in the egg until it is cooked
- Serve with hot sauce.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
