Buying without a plan....

There seemed to be lots of fresh corn at the market this week, so I bought some ears without knowing what they would end up in. While we love to grill them whole, I wanted to try something just a bit different for a side tonight.

Sweet Corn and Parmesan Flans have a savory and silky texture that mingles well with the roasted whole kernels. Roasting the kernels before using them intensifies the sweet flavor from the corn. The flan is a mixture of eggs, pureed roasted kernels, milk, seasonings and nutty Parmesan cheese. Colorful halved yellow and red cherry tomatoes add a vibrant freshness to the creamy rings of corn. *To help them cook slowly and evenly, the flans are baked in a water bath. Place a layer or papertowels or a dish towel in the bottom of your baking dish before adding in the ramekins and water - this keeps them from knocking into each other while you move them from/to the oven. To be safe, place the baking dish on the oven rack before adding the water to reduce the risk of sloshing hot water on yourself or into the ramekins.

I decided to serve a quick dish of Pork Chops with Ginger-Cherry Sauce as the main portion of tonight's meal. To add a different depth of flavor to the chops, they are first sauteed in toasted sesame oil. Once they are done to your liking, they are removed from the pan while chunky cherry preserves are mixed in with soy sauce, vinegar and freshly grated ginger. After being allowed to reduce, the tender chops are added back in to warm up and start to soak in the flavorful sauce. The tangy cherry mixture may seem a little thin at first, but it starts to thicken up as it cools down. The sweetness in the cherries is tempered by the salty soy while the fresh ginger adds just enough of a snappy bite. I also steamed some broccoli as an additional side . Boy are we full and happy now!

Recipes
Sweet Corn and Parmesan Flans
Pork Chops with Ginger-Cherry Sauce