Fresh Corn on the Cob with Basil Tomato Butter

"Look, Mom, corn!"  My mama is from Southern Illinois, where corn is king.  In fact, the annual festival in her hometown culminates with Corn Day, complete with a parade and Corn Queen!  Soooo.....on every road trip, whenever we pass a corn field, we shout, "Look, Mom, corn!"  Needless to say, we ate a lot of corn on the cob growing up.  And while I love the stuff, it's not something I make often.  I'm not the expert on picking corn from the huge bins at the grocery like Mama is, and until I made this recipe, I wasn't really sure how to even cook the corn!  But, as had been my entire culinary education, I read the recipe and followed the instructions.  And this corn turned out perfectly!  Then I called Mama and she told me a shortcut for making corn in the microwave...  Anyway, this recipe was great, the herbed butter was fabulous, and it would be just as amazing on a baked potato or slathered into crusty garlic bread before baking to add a few more delicious flavors!

4-8 ears of corn

salt to taste

1 cup salted butter, softened

1 tablespoon fresh basil

1 teaspoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon fresh oregano

1 tablespoon sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Remove the husks and silks from the corn.  Bring enough salted water to cover the corn to a boil in a large stockpot.  Add the corn and return to a boil.  Remove the corn and drain.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining ingredients in the bowl of a mini-food processor (or a blender would work just as well).  Pulse until herbs and tomatoes are roughly chopped and everything is combined well.  Spread over hot corn.

Serves 4-8.

Recipe adapted from My Mama Made That, by the Junior League of Hampton Roads.