Name: Korean Corn Cheese
Total time: 25 min
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 (15-ounce) cans corn , drained; 1½ teaspoons sugar; ¼ teaspoon table salt; 6 ounces preshredded whole-milk mozzarella cheese (1½ cups), divided; ⅓ cup mayonnaise; 1 scallion , sliced thin

Why This Recipe Works

Gooey, stretchy corn cheese, a popular anju (Korean drinking snack) and barbecue side dish, is a dream for cheese-pull enthusiasts and anyone looking for a crowd-pleasing snack or side dish. The richness and relatively low pH of low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella made it a great melter, and commercial preshredded mozzarella is coated with starch that helped it melt more smoothly than freshly shredded cheese. Stirring some of the cheese into the mayonnaise-dressed corn and sprinkling more on the surface made the dish cohesive and ensured gooeyness in every bite. Cooking and serving in a cast-iron skillet was key: Its superior heat retention kept the cheese hotter and gooier longer than pans made from other materials.

Want more? Read the whole story

Before You Begin

If you do not have a cast-iron skillet, use a stainless-steel skillet. Three cups of fresh or thawed frozen corn can be substituted for the canned. This recipe was developed with Cabot Low-Moisture Whole Milk Shredded Mozzarella Cheese; the starch added to prevent the shreds from clumping also helps the cheese stay soft and fluid out of the oven. If grating a block of whole-milk mozzarella, toss the cheese with ¼ teaspoon of cornstarch before using. Do not use fresh mozzarella. For a spicy dish, add 1 tablespoon of gochujang with the mayonnaise. Serve this as a side with grilled meats or vegetables or as a dip with corn chips.

Instructions

Adjust oven rack 8 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.

Melt butter in 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add corn, sugar, and salt and cook, stirring frequently, until pan is almost dry and fond begins to form at edges of pan, 5 to 6 minutes.

Off heat, stir in two-thirds of cheese and mayonnaise. Spread into even layer and top with remain‑ ing one-third cheese. Broil until surface is bubbling and cheese is browned in spots, about 3 minutes. Garnish with scallion and serve immediately.