Nero Wolfe's Roast Corn on the Cob
12 ears freshly picked sweetcorn, still in the husks!
olive oil, as needed
salt and pepper, to taste
1. It is vital that you do not husk the corn. The husks act as insulation and steam-roast the corn to perfection. When cooked, the silks etc. don't cling to the corn as they do when raw.
2. Preheat oven to the maximum temperature it will go. I have done this several times at 550º F and it works fine. You need the highest heat possible.
3. Place the corn, still in its husks, in the hottest possible oven for 40 minutes.
4. Corn should be husked at the table, by each person, before eating. I suggest having paper bags or wastepaper baskets near the table to toss the husks into. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, as desired.
Eat. Angels sing softly in the distance. Any leftovers can be refrigerated still in the husks. The recipe is written for 3 ears apiece, but make more than you think you will want, because often when I've made this we ignore the rest of the dinner and just eat corn!
Source of recipe: This recipe was inspired by the Nero Wolfe story, "Murder is Corny." The important thing is the cooking. It is so simple and delicious, I just had to share!
SO HOW'D IT GO?
DELICIOUS! The highest setting for my oven is 500, so I put them in for about 45 minutes and they were absolutely divine! And it is so important not to husk them, like the recipe says. It is much easier to get the husk and silk off once it's roasted. We ate them with a bit of earth balance and cajun seasoning...YUM!
this rocked. i roasted them @ 450F for 40-50ish minutes. then i took the husks off and threw it back in the oven with some other veggies i was roasting for about 5 minutes or so. way better than boiling! ::) i'm sure if i did it at 550F they would have browned even more, but they came out nice and juicy so i'll do it the same next time. :)