Maíz Asado con Alioli y Queso
(mah-EES ah-SAH-doh kohn ah-lee-OH-lee ee KEH-so)
Chapter 3: Hot Tapas
If you have spent any time in the loud, buzzing dining rooms of America's best tapas joints over the last decade, you have likely ruined a good shirt eating this exact dish. Famously pioneered by Ken Oringer and Jamie Bissonnette at Toro, it takes the soul of a Mexican street-cart elote and routes it unapologetically through the Spanish pantry. We swap standard mayo for a punchy, garlic-heavy alioli, trade Cotija for heavily aged Manchego, and dust the whole glorious, messy affair with Piment d'Espelette. It is sweet, smoky, intensely savory, and specifically engineered for a party.
Before you start
Pound the garlic and salt into a sticky paste.
Use a mortar and pestle to crush the garlic cloves with the kosher salt, which acts as a necessary abrasive.
Emulsify the alioli up to three days in advance.
Whisk the egg yolk and lemon juice into your garlic paste. Combine your olive and neutral oils, then whisk them into the yolk mixture drop by literal drop until the emulsion thickens, eventually pouring in a very slow stream until you have a thick, glossy mayonnaise. Cover and refrigerate.
Par-cook the corn hours before your guests arrive.
Boil the shucked ears in salted water for 5 minutes just until the kernels plump up and turn bright yellow. Drain and dry them completely on a wire rack, cut them in half horizontally, and leave them loosely covered at room temperature until it is time for service.
Ingredients
- egg yolk1 large
- cloves garlic2 large
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- fresh lemon juice1 tbsp
- Spanish extra-virgin olive oil1/4 cup
- neutral oil1/2 cup
- ears sweet corn4 large
- aged Manchego cheese3/4 cup
- Piment d'Espelette2 tsp
- lime1 large
- flaky sea salt1 pinch
- fresh cilantro1 tbsp
Method
- 01
Get a cast-iron skillet smoking hot over high heat.
Do not add a drop of oil to the pan. Dry heat is exactly what you need to achieve an aggressive, smoky char without filling your kitchen with grease smoke.
- 02
Blister the par-cooked corn directly on the dry metal.
Place the room-temperature corn in the skillet and let it sit undisturbed for 60 to 90 seconds until dark, blackened blisters form, then rotate. Because the corn is already tender, you are solely focused on achieving a smoky char, which should take no more than 4 to 5 minutes total.
- 03
Immediately slather the smoking-hot corn with alioli.
Move the corn to a serving platter and generously brush the garlic mayonnaise over every side. The residual heat of the corn will slightly melt the emulsion and send the garlic aroma straight into the air.
- 04
Roll the coated ears in a snowstorm of grated Manchego.
Ensure every side of the corn is heavily crusted with the cheese.
- 05
Garnish aggressively and serve immediately.
Dust the ears generously with the Piment d'Espelette, sprinkle with flaky sea salt and chopped cilantro, and instruct your guests to squeeze the lime wedges over the top before taking a bite.
Notes
Do not substitute the Piment d'Espelette with generic paprika.
This Basque pepper has a bright, fruity warmth that elevates the sweet corn without scorching your palate. If you absolutely cannot find it, use sweet Pimentón de la Vera cut with a tiny pinch of cayenne to mimic the campfire smokiness of an outdoor grill.
You need a dry, aggressively aged sheep's milk cheese.
Aged Manchego or Roncal is non-negotiable because its crumbly, salty, crystalline texture stands up to the heavy fat of the alioli. A soft or young cheese will instantly turn to mush when it hits the hot corn.
Pre-minced jarred garlic will ruin this dish.
The alioli demands fresh, raw garlic crushed into a paste to release its volatile allicin compounds. Jarred garlic tastes like sad metal and will yield a flat, disappointing sauce.