LIFE

Corny fresh fritters get their special day

Kate Lawson
The Detroit News

As we already know, July is National Ice Cream Month. But there other food faves that share the month (hot dogs, baked beans and blueberries, to name a few) and, in fact, there so many wonderful edible delights to celebrate, now each one has its own day.

A fun book, “Eat the Year” by Steff Deschenes (Running Press, $16) is a fun and witty compendium of all these days and celebrates a national food or drink holiday for every day of the year.

According to Deschenes, today happens to be National Corn Fritter Day and I’ve geared up for the celebration by purchasing fresh corn and Cotija cheese.I like this recipe because there’s no messy frying. Instead, the fritters are baked and turn out nice and crunchy.

klawson@detroitnews.com

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Mexican Corn

Fritters

Look for Cotija cheese, a hard cow’s milk cheese at most supermarkets Hispanic markets. From “Eat The Year” by Steff Deschenes

3 small ears corn, husked, grilled, corn removed (about 2 cups)

1 (4.25-ounce) can diced green chilies

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed juice (from one small lime)

1/2 cup (soy) milk

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cumin

3 tablespoons grated Cotija cheese (Parmesan, if you’re in a bind)

Sour cream, for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Grease a baking sheet and set it aside.

In a large bowl, mix the corn with the chilies, lime juice, milk, and oil. Stir in the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and cumin. Then gently stir in the cheese until everything is well combined.

Scoop the fritter batter by 1/4 cups onto the baking sheet and gently pat them down. Bake the fritters for 12 minutes, flip them over, and bake them for another 8 minutes. Serve them as is or with sour cream, if desired. Makes 8 fritters.

Per serving: 131 calories; 3 g fat (1 g saturated fat; 21 percent calories from fat); 22 g carbohydrates; 1 g sugar; 1 mg cholesterol; 176 mg sodium; 4 g protein; 2 g fiber.