Tarragon Creamed Corn

“Milk” the corncob to extract as much flavor as possible, then make a broth from the liquid with a Parmesan cheese rind and fresh tarragon. But the real secret to the intense corn flavor of this dish is to take about one-fourth of the cooked corn, puree it and then fold it back into the rest of the corn. Save the rinds whenever you use Parmigiano-Reggiano; they will keep for weeks in the refrigerator. Add a piece of cheese rind to soups, stews and other brothy dishes to add deep, savory flavor.

Ingredients:

For the corn cream:

• 3 ears of corn
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 1 bunch fresh tarragon
• 6-oz. (185-g) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind
• 3 turns cracked pepper
• 4 cups (32 fl. oz./1 l) heavy cream
•  
• 1 lb. (500 g) corn kernels (cut from about 8 ears)
• 1 bunch fresh tarragon, tied together with kitchen twine, plus
    whole leaves for garnish (optional)
• 6-oz. (185-g) piece Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind
• About 1 cup (8 fl. oz./250 ml) heavy cream, as needed
• 6 oz. (185 g) Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:

To make the corn cream, cut the kernels from 3 cobs. Run the back of a knife blade along the length of each cob to force out any juice and the germ of each kernel into a bowl. Put the corn kernels, corn juice, thyme, tarragon, cheese rind and pepper in a saucepan and pour in the cream. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 45 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside. Discard the solids in the sieve.

Put 1 lb. corn kernels in a large saucepan and pour in the corn cream. Add the bundle of tarragon and the second piece of rind. The liquid should just cover the corn; add the heavy cream as needed to cover. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the corn is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove and discard the tarragon bundle and cheese rind.

Pour one-fourth of the mixture into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the blended mixture back into the pan with the corn. Add the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately garnished with tarragon leaves. Serves 8.