Mexican Grilled Corn with chile and lime

One of the true blessings of living in Houston, Texas, is that our city is so amazingly multicultural. Nowhere is this expressed more than in the foods that we eat. From New York deli to vietnamese bahn mi sandwiches to czech kolaches to one of my personal favorite recipes... Mexican Grilled Corn with chile and lime. It is all available within a relatively short drive in our fair city. I included the corn recipe below, but the purpose of this post is to share with you the significance of Mexican Grilled Corn with chile and lime, today, May 5, 2013.

As you can see from the recipe below, one of the ingredients is mayonnaise. Mayonnaise is not indiginous to Mexico. It was brought there by English explorers late in the 18th century. The only supplier of this wonderful condiment at that time was the R.J. Hellman's Company of London, England. On April 27, 1813, the HMS Barnum, a four masted schooner, set sail from England with a cargo of 1,800 crates of Hellman's mayonnaise. Eight days later, on May 5, 1813-- two hundred years ago today-- an early season hurricane formed in the Gulf of Mexico with 95 mile per hour winds and 15 foot waves. It was too much for the English cargo ship to take. At 9:30 a.m., on May 5, 1813, the HMS Barnum sank, just four miles off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico. It took to its watery grave its entire supply of 1,800 crates of Hellman's mayonnaise.

And that is why, in Mexico, May 5th will forever be known as Sinko de Mayo.

And now you know. ;-)


Ingredients
4 ears corn
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 lime, juiced
Red chili powder, to taste
2 limes cut into wedges, for garnish

Directions


Remove the husks of the corn but leave the core attached at the end so you have something to hold onto. Grill the corn on a hot grill or cast iron griddle pan until slightly charred. Turn it so it gets cooked evenly all over. Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream and cilantro together. Grate the Parmesan in another bowl. While the corn is still warm slather with mayonnaise mix. Squeeze lime juice over the corn and shower with Parmesan. Season with chili powder and serve with extra lime wedges.