Creamy Corn Cakes with Sous Vide Eggs and Mexican Ranchera Sauce
By Heidi Allison
Creamy corn cakes with sous vide eggs and Mexican ranchera sauce is a great choice for lazy weekends when you don't want to cook or face a sink full of dirty dishes, especially since it can be prepared several days in advance and assembled in minutes.
The creamy corn cake forms the foundation of this dish and is reminiscent of a slow-cooked Italian polenta — but with a Tex-Mex flavor profile. The salty, add-in cheese is cotija (aka Mexican Parmesan), while the Mexican crema lends creamy richness. This recipe uses medium-grind, whole-grain cornmeal, which leaves the corn germ and bran in to create a more intensely sweet corn flavor. I made these several days before serving. The corn cakes can be quickly reheated either in a microwave for a creamier texture or sautéed in a little unsalted butter on the stove.
The eggs are slow-poached in their shell, aka sous vide eggs, then refrigerated. The eggs can be reheated in a 900-watt microwave for 10-15 seconds right before serving — just long enough to take the "chill" off. You can also poach or fry the eggs instead. The one caveat — you want a jammy yolk, so be careful with the reheat time, so they do not overcook.
The ranchero sauce is what grabs your attention in this dish: the flavor is rich, deep, and complex— yet, without being too spicy (And a nice change from Hollandaise!). There are many regional variations to this classic Tex-Mex sauce, using blanched (not roasted) onions and tomatoes, switching out chicken stock for the tomato cooking water, or seasoning with a touch of ground cinnamon or toasted cumin are some. The secret ingredients in this recipe: roasted red bell pepper, which lends a hint of sweetness to round out the flavor, and a mild, earthy guajillo chili, which creates a beautiful brick-red color.
Creamy Corn Cakes with Sous Vide Eggs and Mexican Ranchera Sauce
Serves: 6
Creamy Corn Cakes:
1 cup medium-grind cornmeal (I like Bob's Red Mill)
5 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher flake salt
1/4 cup cotija cheese
1/3 cup Mexican crema
Preparation:
Place water in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed pot and slowly whisk in cornmeal. Continue whisking for 2 minutes to remove any lumps. Add salt, whisk to incorporate, and reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 50 minutes, or until corn grains swell and no longer taste raw.
Add cheese and crema, then whisk to incorporate. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then pour into a medium 8 x11 shallow, buttered ceramic pan and let cool, then place into the refrigerator. Before reheating, cut corn cake rounds with a 3½ inch biscuit cutter or juice glass (There should be 6 corn cakes with a height of about ½ inch).
Ranchero Sauce
Makes: 2 cups
Ingredients:
4 Roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
1/2 white onion, peeled and chopped 1 small jalapeño chili
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 poblano chili
1 red bell pepper
1 small guajillo chili, rehydrated w/seeds and stem removed
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 chicken cube bullion
2 tablespoon olive oil
Preparation:
Preheat a toaster oven to 400 degrees.
Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapeño on a foil-lined tray, drizzle with olive oil, then toss with your fingers to lightly coat the veggies.
Place veggies in the toaster oven and cook for 11 minutes, or until the tomatoes are lightly charred, then turn tomatoes and continue to cook for another 11 minutes.
Remove from the toaster oven and set aside. When cool enough to handle, remove stem and seeds from jalapeño.
Place poblano and red bell pepper on a gas stove grate and turn gas on high. Allow chili and bell pepper to blacken and charr, then turn over and char other sides. Place blackened poblano and bell pepper in a plastic bag and steam for 15 minutes, let rest until cool to the touch. Rub skins between your fingers to remove, then remove stem, seeds, and set aside.
Place roasted onion, seeded jalapeño, tomatoes, and collected juices into a large Ninja Bullet container (32 oz.) and blend one cycle. Add poblano chili, 1/2 red bell pepper, chicken bouillon cube, rehydrated guajillo chili, olive oil, and chicken stock and blend for 3 cycles. Place in the refrigerator till ready to use.
Sous Vide Eggs:
Preheat your sous vide water bath to 145.4 degrees F (63 C) in a medium pot (you will use about 12 cups water).
Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the eggs (shell and all) directly into the water, and cook for 1 hour.
Remove the eggs, cool in an ice-water bath for 10 minutes, and place in the fridge until ready to use.
To reheat, place eggs (shell and all) in 140 F water bath for 15 minutes, or crack the sous vide egg into a small bowl and reheat in a microwave, uncovered, 10-15 seconds, or until warm.
Assembly:
Take ranchero sauce out of the fridge and bring up to room temperature for 1 hour or reheat on low microwave setting till warm.
Place corn cake on a plate and reheat in microwave for 10 seconds, or until warm to the touch. Top with warm egg and pour 2 tablespoons of sauce around corn cake and a drizzle (1 tsp.) over eggs, then serve.
Creamy corn cakes with sous vide eggs and Mexican ranchera sauce is a great choice for lazy weekends when you don't want to cook or face a sink full of dirty dishes, especially since it can be prepared several days in advance and assembled in minutes.
The creamy corn cake forms the foundation of this dish and is reminiscent of a slow-cooked Italian polenta — but with a Tex-Mex flavor profile. The salty, add-in cheese is cotija (aka Mexican Parmesan), while the Mexican crema lends creamy richness. This recipe uses medium-grind, whole-grain cornmeal, which leaves the corn germ and bran in to create a more intensely sweet corn flavor. I made these several days before serving. The corn cakes can be quickly reheated either in a microwave for a creamier texture or sautéed in a little unsalted butter on the stove.
The eggs are slow-poached in their shell, aka sous vide eggs, then refrigerated. The eggs can be reheated in a 900-watt microwave for 10-15 seconds right before serving — just long enough to take the "chill" off. You can also poach or fry the eggs instead. The one caveat — you want a jammy yolk, so be careful with the reheat time, so they do not overcook.
The ranchero sauce is what grabs your attention in this dish: the flavor is rich, deep, and complex— yet, without being too spicy (And a nice change from Hollandaise!). There are many regional variations to this classic Tex-Mex sauce, using blanched (not roasted) onions and tomatoes, switching out chicken stock for the tomato cooking water, or seasoning with a touch of ground cinnamon or toasted cumin are some. The secret ingredients in this recipe: roasted red bell pepper, which lends a hint of sweetness to round out the flavor, and a mild, earthy guajillo chili, which creates a beautiful brick-red color.
Creamy Corn Cakes with Sous Vide Eggs and Mexican Ranchera Sauce
Serves: 6
Creamy Corn Cakes:
1 cup medium-grind cornmeal (I like Bob's Red Mill)
5 cups water
1 teaspoon kosher flake salt
1/4 cup cotija cheese
1/3 cup Mexican crema
Preparation:
Place water in a medium-size, heavy-bottomed pot and slowly whisk in cornmeal. Continue whisking for 2 minutes to remove any lumps. Add salt, whisk to incorporate, and reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 50 minutes, or until corn grains swell and no longer taste raw.
Add cheese and crema, then whisk to incorporate. Cook for 10 minutes longer, then pour into a medium 8 x11 shallow, buttered ceramic pan and let cool, then place into the refrigerator. Before reheating, cut corn cake rounds with a 3½ inch biscuit cutter or juice glass (There should be 6 corn cakes with a height of about ½ inch).
Ranchero Sauce
Makes: 2 cups
Ingredients:
4 Roma tomatoes, cut into quarters
1/2 white onion, peeled and chopped 1 small jalapeño chili
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 poblano chili
1 red bell pepper
1 small guajillo chili, rehydrated w/seeds and stem removed
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 chicken cube bullion
2 tablespoon olive oil
Preparation:
Preheat a toaster oven to 400 degrees.
Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapeño on a foil-lined tray, drizzle with olive oil, then toss with your fingers to lightly coat the veggies.
Place veggies in the toaster oven and cook for 11 minutes, or until the tomatoes are lightly charred, then turn tomatoes and continue to cook for another 11 minutes.
Remove from the toaster oven and set aside. When cool enough to handle, remove stem and seeds from jalapeño.
Place poblano and red bell pepper on a gas stove grate and turn gas on high. Allow chili and bell pepper to blacken and charr, then turn over and char other sides. Place blackened poblano and bell pepper in a plastic bag and steam for 15 minutes, let rest until cool to the touch. Rub skins between your fingers to remove, then remove stem, seeds, and set aside.
Place roasted onion, seeded jalapeño, tomatoes, and collected juices into a large Ninja Bullet container (32 oz.) and blend one cycle. Add poblano chili, 1/2 red bell pepper, chicken bouillon cube, rehydrated guajillo chili, olive oil, and chicken stock and blend for 3 cycles. Place in the refrigerator till ready to use.
Sous Vide Eggs:
Preheat your sous vide water bath to 145.4 degrees F (63 C) in a medium pot (you will use about 12 cups water).
Using a slotted spoon, carefully lower the eggs (shell and all) directly into the water, and cook for 1 hour.
Remove the eggs, cool in an ice-water bath for 10 minutes, and place in the fridge until ready to use.
To reheat, place eggs (shell and all) in 140 F water bath for 15 minutes, or crack the sous vide egg into a small bowl and reheat in a microwave, uncovered, 10-15 seconds, or until warm.
Assembly:
Take ranchero sauce out of the fridge and bring up to room temperature for 1 hour or reheat on low microwave setting till warm.
Place corn cake on a plate and reheat in microwave for 10 seconds, or until warm to the touch. Top with warm egg and pour 2 tablespoons of sauce around corn cake and a drizzle (1 tsp.) over eggs, then serve.
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