I’ve always considered corn a borderline fruit, so why not incorporate it into the pastry menu? Here I pair it with buttery Madeleine Sponge Cake, my adaptation of the classic seashell cake, with a shatteringly crisp sugar crust. And I pile on the garnishes: kettle corn and freeze-dried corn bring their own special crunch to the dessert, and they’re easy because you can find them readymade in good grocery stores. I use plastic tubes that I’ve had cut to my specifications when I make this panna cotta at the restaurant. You can, too, if you have access to a plastic supply shop; the tubes I use have a 1-inch diameter, and they’re 18 inches long. But you can also make the panna cotta in cannoli forms or muffin tins (see Make It Simpler).

　　

Ingredients

serves 14 to 15

　　

For the Panna Cotta

6 ears sweet corn

　　6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter

　　1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (75g) sugar

　　1 tablespoon (12g) coarse salt

　　1 1/2 cups (350g) whole milk

　　1 tablespoon powdered gelatin (or 13.5g sheet gelatin; see page 276)

　　7/8 cup (240g) Simple Syrup (page 184)

　　1 1/4 cups (300g) heavy cream

　　

To Serve

Madeleine Sponge Cake (page 193)

　　Turbinado sugar

　　Spiced Walnuts (page 217)

　　Honey

　　Kettle corn (optional)

　　Freeze-dried corn (optional)

　　

For the Panna Cotta

Step 1

Line 14 to 15 cannoli forms with acetate. Wrap one end in plastic wrap and secure it with tape or rubber bands. Put the forms in the freezer.

　　

Step 2

Set up an ice bath in a large bowl.

　　

Step 3

Cut the kernels off the corncobs.

　　

Step 4

Put the butter and sugar in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted, add the corn and the salt. Cook, stirring often, until the corn is completely tender but not browned, about 7 minutes.

　　

Step 5

Scrape the corn into a blender. Add the milk, and puree until very smooth. Strain through a fine strainer into a medium bowl (discard the solids) and set into the ice bath to cool.

　　

Step 6

Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the simple syrup. Let sit for at least 1 minute. Microwave for 45 seconds or heat gently in a saucepan until melted. Stir the gelatin into the corn puree.

　　

Step 7

In a separate bowl, whip the cream to medium peaks. Fold it into the corn mixture, gently but thoroughly.

　　

Step 8

Fill a pastry bag with the panna cotta batter and pipe into the molds. Cover the open ends with plastic wrap and secure it. Freeze overnight or for up to 3 days.

　　

To Serve

Step 9

Heat the broiler. Cut the madeleine sponge into 1 1/4 x 3-inch fingers and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with an even layer of turbinado sugar and caramelize the sugar under the broiler, watching carefully to make sure you don’t scorch it. (Alternatively, you could caramelize the sugar with a culinary torch.) Set on dessert plates.

　　

Step 10

Unmold the panna cotta, pushing it out, and cut into 1-inch lengths. Place three pieces of panna cotta on each madeleine finger. Add a spiced walnut or two to the plate and garnish with a drizzle of honey and, if you want, some kettle corn and freeze-dried corn.

　　

make it simpler

Step 11

You could form the panna cotta in muffin tins lined with plastic wrap and cut the madeleine into circles instead of rectangles. And though you will have to come up with a different way of plating the dessert, you could even replace the Madeleine Sponge Cake with madeleines from a good bakery. But, please, make sure you sprinkle them with sugar and caramelize them.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__