Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Corncakes

 

Do you believe I've been blogging for half of a year already?  I sure don't!!!  Time is a flyin' by.  I must say I love my blog more than I thought I ever would. Every little part of the process to get a post printed on this page thrills me -  from the brain waves of new recipe ideas while I'm doing dishes or standing in line at the market or talking to my Mom (she already thinks I don't listen to her while she talks!) to making the food to taking and editing the photos and finally the writing of the whole thing.  I love it all. Add to that the super warm reception from the food blogging world, and the awfully kind comments from friends and strangers alike, and well, I really am over the moon.

These corncakes, you could say, started this whole thing.  About a year ago, I made these for dinner one night, innocently posted a photo on my facebook page and a whole hullabaloo ensued!  Comments from friends urging me to start writing a food blog were noted, and appreciated, but I claimed I was too busy or too technologically challenged to start one.  But the friends did not rest.  They repetitively kept vocalizing their wishes to see me write about all of the cool stuff I was doing in my little green kitchen, and finally I gave in. I brushed up on a little computer lingo, and told myself to get a grip - it's only the Internet for god's sake and well, the rest is history. To those friends, and you know who you are, thank you for being so bossy.  You knew I had this in me before I did.

Corncakes are kind of like fritters.  A simple batter of cornmeal and flour and buttermilk, with some glorious add-ins of roasted corn and smoked salmon and (ahem!) cream cheese.  Pan fried in a little olive oil and they really are noteworthy.  I made these for a light lunch with a fresh green salad from my garden, but they would be lovely for brunch or even dinner.  The corncakes have crispy edges with a light cakey middle, and when you get a bite of the cream cheese and smoked salmon, well, that's a little bit of heaven.  And the dill.  Please don't forget the dill!

You don't have to roast the corn.  You can just cut it off the cobs and add it in like that, or simply toss the  corn in a little olive oil  and roast it in the oven until it get a little darker and crispier.  It just enhances the flavour a little more is all.  Heck you could even make these in winter with the frozen stuff, but if you've been reading me long enough you know I think fresh is best; in season and local even better. If you've grilled corn on the BBQ and have leftovers, well, this would be a perfect use for it.  With a dollop of sour cream and squeeze of lemon, this is perfect summer noshing.

So, thank you corncakes, for in all of your crispy photogenic beauty, you inspired something pretty great.  I can't wait to see where the next 6 months will take me.

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Corncakes

1/2 cup plus 4 tbsp cornmeal
6 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs lightly beaten
1/2 cup plus 4 tbsp buttermilk
6 tbsp cream cheese, softened
1 cup fresh corn (cut from 2 cobs) and roasted in a bit of oil, or added in as is, or use frozen corn
6 tbsp fresh chives, or green onions, chopped
1 tsp sambal oelek or any chili garlic sauce
4 ounces smoked salmon, finely chopped, about 2/3 cup
4 tbsp olive or canola oil
sour cream, lemon wedges for accompaniments

In a small bowl, whisk together dry ingredients.In a larger bowl whisk the eggs, buttermilk, cream cheese.  Add half of the corn to this.  Stir well.  Add remaining corn, chives, chili garlic sauce and smoked salmon.  Stir just until combined.
In a large cast iron pan, or non-stick pan, add 1 tbsp of oil over moderately high heat, but not smoking hot.  Working in batches, drop batter by 1/4 cup measures into skillet.  Spread batter evenly to form 3-4 inch cakes.  Cook about 2-3 minutes per side, or until golden brown.  Transfer cooked corncakes to a cookie sheet and keep warm in a low 200 degree oven while you cook the rest.  Serve with sour cream and a squeeze of lemon.  De-lish!!! Makes about 12 corncakes.