I’ve been on the hunt for farm-to-table connections, and I found a great one practically in my back yard. My friend Peter Klein of Seedling Fruit in South Haven, Michigan, hosted two dinners over the weekend with the folks at Outstanding in the Field, who travel across North America in a funky bus to create farm dinners with high-end chefs and other food artisans.  I stopped by on my way to the Dutch Farm Market to capture a few shots of the lovely setting, bathed in warm afternoon light.

My weekend excursion included visits to a handful of farm stands, and every single one had mountains of sweet corn.  The weather has been so wonky this year I thought the corn would never arrive.  So that’s what’s on my menu this week.  Here’s a spicy way to jazz it up.

Grilled corn with chili blend butter

Makes eight

1 teaspoon chili powder

¾ teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

8 ears corn on the cob

In small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, coriander and salt. Add hot pepper sauce and softened butter and stir to combine well.

To grill corn with butter, peel back (but don’t remove) the husks and remove silk. Spread chili-blend butter on kernels. Replace husks and secure with kitchen string soaked in water to prevent scorching. Grill until husks are slightly charred.

Alternatively, you can grill or boil the corn and spread with chili-blend butter at the table.

Recipes and photos compliments of Janine MacLachlan, www.RusticKitchencom.  All rights reserved.  If you liked this post, feel free to friend me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.