Gorging on Life

This smoked corn mayo started as the secret weapon on my Elbow-Lick Tomato Sandwich, but it's become something I keep on hand all summer long. Blanched corn gets smoked until it's honey-colored in spots, then half of it goes into the blender with egg yolks, lemon juice, garlic, and a touch of cayenne to make a smooth, emulsified mayo. The rest gets stirred in for texture and bursts of sweet, smoky corn flavor. It's perfect slathered on a tomato sandwich, served with sweet potato fries, or thinned out with buttermilk and mixed with fresh corn to make a dip. Once you make it, you'll find excuses to put it on everything.

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Roasted grapes were one of the first things that made me realize the oven could transform something sweet into something savory. I'd been roasting regular grapes for years before I finally tried it with muscadines, thinking the skins would be too tough and tannic. I was wrong. The skin holds its shape but loses its chew, and the flesh becomes pure jammy muscadine essence. Paired with caramelized Brussels sprouts, link sausage, and a bright Dijon-lemon dressing, this sheet pan dinner hits every taste we have—sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami. It's perfect in early fall with roast meats, on its own, or next to a bowl of greens. Just don't skip scraping up all that caramelized goodness from the pan.

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The cheese ball is such a cliché that it's actually become cool again—right up there with pigs in a blanket and baked potatoes. And whether it's socially acceptable or not, when you put one out at a party, people hover over it like it's a crystal ball. This version combines blue cheese, goat cheese, cream cheese, and butter with chopped dates, scallions, and hot sauce, then gets rolled in salt-and-butter-roasted pecans and fresh parsley. The key is bringing it out at least thirty minutes before serving so it's spreadable and all those flavors can really come through. Keep your crackers simple—sea salt or plain is the way to go. And consider doubling the recipe because a fully formed cheese ball freezes and travels beautifully.

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Try this recipe for crab hoecakes with corn and blueberry salsa that Vivian made in the Panna Cooking test kitchen last year.

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https://www.pannacooking.com/recipes/crab-hoecakes-blueberry-corn-salsa-vivian-howard/

Kids headed back to school? End their summer with these frozen treats, and reward yourself for your ingenuity. 

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