Hotcakes de Elote del Valle de Guadalupe

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy cast iron comal or wide flat skillet
• •High-powered blender
• •Wide mixing bowl
• •Wooden spoon for folding
• •Thin metal spatula for flipping

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the corn off the cob

   Stand each ear in a wide bowl and run a sharp knife straight down to release the kernels. After the kernels come off, run the back of the knife down the cob to scrape out the milky liquid trapped at the base. That liquid is sweetness and body. Do not skip it. The cobs in Valle de Guadalupe in late summer are pale yellow, almost white, and tender, that is the corn this dish was built around.

   If you cannot find sweet corn in season, do not make this with frozen kernels and call it the same dish. Wait. Cook what the mercado is selling today.
2. 2

   Blend the corn base

   Place 3 cups of the corn kernels and all the scraped milk into a blender with the whole milk, eggs, and vanilla. Blend on high for about 45 seconds. You want a thick pale yellow batter with visible flecks of corn, not a smooth puree. The texture is what makes a hotcake de elote different from a pancake. Reserve the remaining 1 cup of kernels whole.

3. 3

   Mix the dry and combine

   In a wide bowl, whisk together the masa harina, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Pour the blended corn mixture over the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter and melted manteca. Stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Fold in the reserved whole kernels. The batter will be thick, somewhere between a pancake batter and a soft cake batter. La manteca es el sabor. The butter alone makes a fine hotcake. The butter with manteca makes the one Dona Esthela serves.

4. 4

   Rest the batter

   Let the batter sit for 10 minutes. The masa harina needs time to hydrate and the baking powder needs a moment to wake up. If you skip this, the hotcakes turn out dense in the center. Asi se hace y punto.

5. 5

   Heat the comal

   Set a heavy cast iron comal or a wide skillet over medium-low heat. Take your time here. A comal that is too hot will color the outside before the inside sets, and a hotcake de elote needs interior cook time. Brush the surface lightly with butter. The butter should foam, not brown.

6. 6

   Griddle the hotcakes

   Ladle about 1/3 cup of batter per hotcake onto the comal. Do not crowd. The batter is thick, so use the back of the spoon to coax each one into a round about 4 inches across and a generous half inch thick. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side, until the edges look set and small bubbles break across the surface but do not close back up. Flip carefully. Cook 2 to 3 minutes on the second side, until the center springs back when you press it. The outside should be deep golden, the inside soft and yellow with the texture of a tender corn cake.

   If your first hotcake comes out pale and doughy in the middle, your comal is too cool. If it comes out dark with a wet center, too hot. Adjust and keep going. The first hotcake is the cook's tax.
7. 7

   Serve at the table

   Stack three hotcakes on each plate. Spoon a generous pour of crema fresca over the top so it slides down the stack. Drizzle with miel de abeja or piloncillo syrup. Serve with cafe de olla. Eat them immediately. These hotcakes do not hold. The corn loses its bright sweetness as they sit, and the cake firms up. Recetas probadas y garantizadas, but only if you eat them while they are warm.

Chef Tips

• •The corn matters. This dish lives or dies by the sweetness of the kernels. In late summer, when the corn is at its peak, the hotcakes need barely any sugar. In other seasons, do not make this dish. Wait for the corn or make something else.
• •Masa harina is non-negotiable. Do not substitute cornmeal or polenta. Maseca and Minsa are the two reliable brands and you can find them in any Mexican grocery in California, Texas, or anywhere with a Mexican community. Cornmeal will give you a gritty hotcake that tastes like cornbread, which is a different food entirely.
• •Use real Mexican crema, not American sour cream. Crema is thinner, less acidic, and pours instead of sitting in a clump. If you cannot find crema fresca, thin sour cream with a tablespoon of whole milk and a pinch of salt. It is a compromise, not an upgrade.
• •If you have access to local honey from the Valle or any high-desert region, use it. The flavor of the honey is part of the dish. A jar of generic clover honey will work, but you lose the regional identity.

Advance Preparation

• •The batter can be mixed up to 2 hours ahead and held in the refrigerator. Bring it back to room temperature for 15 minutes before griddling, or the cold batter will not cook through.
• •These hotcakes do not freeze and they do not reheat well. The corn loses its bright flavor and the texture turns rubbery. Make them to order and eat them at the table.
• •Cafe de olla can be made the night before and reheated. The cinnamon and piloncillo only deepen overnight.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 320g)