Corn cakes with beetroot and apple salad #ottolenghi

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Made these delicious savoury muffins for afternoon tea.
Adulterated from Ottolenghi who writes “These manage to pull off the trick of being totally light but utterly creamy at the same time. Other cheeses also work instead of the feta: Gorgonzola, for example, if you want something a bit punchier. If you are looking for a shortcut , just serve the corn cakes with a crisp green salad, rather than the beetroot and apple.”

You need for six as a generous starter or light lunch;

5 medium corn cobs, husks removed, or 500g frozen corn kernels, de-frosted

3 small banana shallots, finely diced (100g)

3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp fennel seeds, lightly toasted and coarsely crushed

1 tsp ground cumin, lightly toasted

1 tsp celery seeds optional

15g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped

1 tsp baking powder

80g unsalted butter, melted,

plus 20g extra for greasing the moulds

2 large eggs, yolks and whites separated

2 tbsp plain flour

60g feta, broken into 6 or 12 chunks (depending on size of muffin tray)

coarse sea salt and black pepper

  • Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.
  • Grease the six or twelve moulds (see introduction) very well with butter and line with squares of baking parchment, cut large enough so that the sides rise a couple of centimetres above the muffin tray.
  • Place all the ingredients for the salad, apart from the beetroot and apple, in a medium bowl.
  • Mix well and set aside until ready to serve.
  • Place each cob perpendicular on your chopping board and use a large sharp knife to shave off the kernels: you should have about 500g.
  • Discard the cob and transfer the kernels to a food processor, along with the shallots and garlic.
  • Pulse for 3–4 seconds, until the mixture is roughly processed but has not turned to a wet purée.
  • Add the fennel seeds, cumin, celery seeds, tarragon, baking powder, butter and egg yolks, along with 1½ teaspoons of salt and a very good grind of black pepper.
  • Blitz a few more times, to combine – some of the corn kernels will still be whole – then transfer to a medium bowl.
  • Fold the flour in by hand and set aside.
  • Place the egg whites in a separate medium bowl and whisk to form firm peaks.
  • Fold a third of the whites gently into the corn mixture – you don’t want to overwork it – and then, once it has incorporated, continue with the next third and then the next.
  • Once fully incorporated, divide the mixture between the moulds and then insert a chunk of feta into each.
  • Push it halfway down the corn mixture: the cakes will puff up around the cheese when they cook.
  • Bake for 25–40 minutes, depending on the size of your moulds, until the cakes have risen and are golden and fluffy: the mixture will still be a bit wet at this point.
  • Remove from the oven and set aside for 10 minutes before lifting them out of the tray.
  • Add the beetroot and apple to the salad dressing just before serving and mix together gently.
  • Serve the warm cakes with the salad alongside, sprinkled with the remaining fennel seeds and the basil leaves.
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