Summer Corn Cakes with Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Adapted by Ezra Pound Cake from Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen.

Salsa Ingredients:

• 1 large tomato, cored and chopped
• 1 scallion, trimmed and minced
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, cored, seeded and minced
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped basil
• 1 Tablespoon fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• 1 avocado, peeled, pitted and diced
• salt and pepper

Salsa Directions:

• Place all of the ingredients except the avocado in a bowl and stir to mix.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. (Up to two days)
• Right before serving mix add the avocado and mix gently.

Summer Corn Cake Ingredients:

• 3 ears of corn, husked
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup diced onion
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1 tea baking powder (omit if using a cornbread mix)
•  1/2 tea baking soda (omit if using a cornbread mix)
• salt & pepper
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tablespoons buttermilk
• 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• Canola oil

Summer Corn Cake Directions:

• Preheat oven to 200 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a brown paper bag.
• Cut the corn from the cobs into a large bowl, and scrape the stripped cobs with the back of the knife (or a spoon) to release the juices into the bowl.
• Place 2 cups of the corn kernels into a food processor, and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky. Scrape into the bowl with the remaining corn kernels.
• Add flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking powder, baking soda, salt and pepper to the corn. Stir to mix.
• Add the eggs, buttermilk and butter, and stir just to combine. (Do not overmix.)
• Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough canola oil to barely cover the bottom, and heat until sizzling hot.
• One heaping tablespoon at a time, scoop the batter into the skillet. Cooking in batches of 4 to 5 to avoid overcrowding, fry the cakes 1 to 2 minutes per side, until golden brown.
• Drain on the lined baking sheet, and place in the oven to keep warm while cooking the remaining corn cakes. Serve warm topped with a heap of Chopped Tomato and Avocado Salsa.