THE CAPITAL GRILLE CREAMED CORN WITH SMOKED BACON

This 49-unit fine-dining eatery owned by Darden Restaurants—the company that operates the much more casual Olive Garden and Bahama Breeze chains—is an upscale steakhouse with mouthwatering entrée choices and an award-winning wine list. But the most-requested dishes on my “to clone” list from this chain come from the great selection of side dishes, including this addicting and easy-to-make creamed corn. What makes it so tasty is the smoky and salty flavor of the bacon and bacon fat—can’t go wrong with a little bacon fat—complemented by a bit of sugar plus the added sweetness of the fresh corn, cooked just enough so that it still has a nice crunch to it. This recipe requires a little sugar, but if you are using a super sweet corn, you can cut the sugar listed here in half.

2 slices thick bacon, cooked and chopped
1 tablespoon bacon fat (from the cooked bacon)
4 ears of yellow corn
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
⅔ cup heavy cream
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
½ tablespoon all-purpose flour
¼ cup water

Cooking method

1-Cook the bacon until crispy in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and chop the cooked bacon into small pieces.

2-Slice all of the corn from the cobs using a sharp knife.

3-Wipe out the sauté pan you used to cook the bacon and place it over medium/high heat. Add the bacon fat and the butter.

4-When the butter has melted, add the corn to the pan along with the bacon, cream, sugar, and salt. Stir the flour into the water in a small bowl and add the solution to the corn. Cook for 4 to 6 minutes or until the cream has thickened and the corn is cooked but still a little firm, stirring often. Pour the creamed corn into a dish and serve immediately.