BARNACLE TOAST
Maybe I should have named my Substack But First Toast! Toast takes center stage again, but not to worry. No actual barnacles are in sight. Keep reading to see how toast passes the barnacle test.
Last week I went to a restaurant here in Albuquerque for the first time called Curious Toast.
It won’t be my last. I can’t wait to go back.
Their menu features all kinds of toast offerings, green chile biscuits, and waffles. It’s a place after my own heart. I’ve already decided that on my next visit I’m definitely ordering the green chile biscuits with creamy gravy.
The day I dined there with a friend, I selected Elote Toast on sourdough bread. The menu description names all the components of elote, or Mexican street corn. Elote is essentially a roasted ear of corn slathered with a sauce of mayonnaise, sour cream, crumbled Cotija cheese, dried chili powder, and chopped cilantro. The roasted ear of corn is typically served on a stick, like a corn lollipop, so you can easily sink your teeth into it. Sometimes the kernels are served cut from the cob and layered in a cup with the creamy Cotija fixings.
The elote toast I had last week was tasty. The sourdough bread was toothsome and crunchy, just the way it ought to be. The elote toast incorporated all the components of flavorful Mexican street corn and was garnished with thin pickled jalapeño slices and micro-greens.
But it was difficult to eat.
It was served open faced, those micro greens sitting loftily on top. Eating it out of hand was out of the question. This toast called for a fork and knife. But even then, cutting it into bite size pieces sent corn kernels skittering across the serving platter. I never quite managed to get all the tasty bits of corn and cheese and sauce and toast to mingle on my fork.
I left the restaurant feeling mildly disappointed but inspired to try a version at home.
My version would have to pass the toast barnacle test.
Don’t get grossed out! All I mean by the barnacle test is that toast toppings must adhere to the toast, similar to how a barnacle attaches itself to whales and wharfs and turtles and what not. This kind of contact ensures that every bite, whether eaten using a knife or fork or picked up by hand, incorporates a roughly 50:50 ratio of toast to topping.
Since my visit to Curious Toast, I’ve been thinking about how I might make a different version of elote toast at home that is easier to eat and passes the barnacle test.
My first thought about barnacle toast in general is that some kind of “glue” has to be incorporated. Most likely this glue will vary from toast to toast. The glue may be something spread onto the toast before the topping is added. Or it could be that the “glue” is added to the topping ingredients to bind them together.
Spoiler alert. In the case of my elote toast concoction, both methods proved to create the kind of barnacle effect I was looking for.
Since we are just entering spring, corn is far from being in season. If you are not already familiar with Trader Joe’s frozen grilled corn let me introduce you. There is almost always a bag in my freezer.
Basically, I mixed all the elote ingredients together in a bowl creating something of a salad/dip hybrid. My thought at this point was that since Cotija cheese crumbles were already in the mix that if I melted the elote topping using the broiler setting on my toaster oven, I could have a melty, creamy, corn topping for my toast.
Turns out, I was right.
If you don’t have a toaster oven you could use your regular oven to broil the elote once it’s sitting atop your toast. Alternatively, you could warm the elote mixture in the microwave until the Cotija cheese is warm and slightly melted before adding it atop your toast.
Either method would work well. But no matter which method you choose, the one step you must not skip is spreading some extra mayonnaise and sour cream on the toast before topping it with the elote mixture. This extra little step adds another layer to the barnacle effect. It also adds a bit more creaminess, making it a great contrast to the tang and crunch of the sourdough bread.
Micro greens, while lovely, are not something I regularly keep on hand, so I used a bit of cilantro leaves as a garnish. And, because I’m always hungriest at breakfast time, I topped my elote toast with two eggs, poached for about 4 minutes. The eggs were just runny enough to add even more creaminess to the toast and remained easy to eat. No yolk ran down my arms as I ate. The eggs are optional here but if you are looking for a hit of protein, they are a must.
When I made this recipe I made enough for about 4 cups which might be too large a quantity, so I’ve re-written it here to yield 2 cups of elote mixture. If you want to make a bigger batch, just double the ingredients.
Like most recipes you can tweak this to your liking. Don’t want to add jalapeño? Not a problem. Just omit them. Want to add more garlic or more Cotija? Great idea. You know how you like your toast. And now you know that barnacle toast isn’t as scary as it sounds.
RECIPE:
MAKES ABOUT 2 CUPS OF ELOTE MIXTURE
2 cups frozen corn kernels, defrosted, preferably Trader Joe’s Roasted Corn
¼ cup Cotija cheese, crumbled. If unavailable, use feta
*1/8 cup mayonnaise, see note below
*1/8 cup sour cream, see note below
¼ teaspoon dried chili powder or Tajín seasoning
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced
1/8 cup finely chopped jalapeno pepper. You’ll only need 1 pepper, and you’ll have about 2/3 of the pepper left over.
1 lime, cut into wedges
Cilantro leaves for garnish
*A heaping tablespoon mayonnaise
*A heaping tablespoon sour cream
Mix the tablespoon of mayonnaise and tablespoon of sour cream together in a small bowl. Set aside until ready to assemble the toast.
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a medium sized bowl, combine the defrosted corn kernels, Cotija cheese, 1/8 cup mayonnaise, 1/8 cup sour cream, dried chili powder or Tajín seasoning, minced garlic, and chopped jalapeño. Stir to combine.
In a small bowl combine the heaping tablespoon of mayonnaise and sour cream and stir these together.
Cut the lime into wedges. You’ll squeeze the juice over the finished elote toast.
Separate as many cilantro leaves as you wish from the stem for garnish. If you’re not a cilantro fan, just omit.
Toast a slice of sourdough bread. Then spread it with a generous swipe of the sour cream and mayonnaise mixture. Sprinkle with a bit more Tajín seasoning like I did.
Top the toast with about ½ cup elote mixture.
Place in toaster oven or regular oven and broil for about 5-7 minutes, or until the elote is nicely warmed and slightly browned.
Place toast on a plate. If you’ve poached an egg or two place them on top of the elote mixture and enjoy!
Love that you recreated the dish, barnacle effect and all! Looks so yummy!!!🌽🌽🌽😋