One Great . . . Easy Corn Gratin

This has been the summer for corn tricks: There's that video of the guy shaking microwave corn from the husk - I never have gotten that one to work - and the trick about cooking corn in the cooler.

I just saw another trick that should have occurred to me but never had: If you're cutting kernels from the cobs, you'll make less mess if you cut the cob in half, making two shorter pieces. Your knife blade makes a shorter trip down the cob and the cob is closer to the plate. Both of those seem to keep kernels from flying all over the counter.

That trick helped when I came across this easy recipe from the Washington Post. It's a homey, simple corn gratin that uses pesto, milk and instant flour (AKA Wondra) to make an easy sauce. And it has a cornflake crust - how easy is that?

Quick Corn Gratin

Slightly adapted from the Washington Post.

About 4 ears corn
1 cup milk (nonfat works fine)
1/4 cup pesto (see note)
2 tablespoons instant-blending flour, such as Wondra
1/2 teaspoon each salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup cornflakes, coarsely crushed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the corn in the microwave for about 6 minutes. When cool enough to handle, strip off the husks and silks. Cut the ears in half (making 2 stubbier ears), then cut off the kernels. You should have 3 to 3 1/2 cups.

Place the corn kernels into a 2- to 3-quart gratin dish or ovenproof baking dish. Add the milk, pesto, flour, salt and pepper. Stir to mix well.

Combine the Gruyere and cornflakes. Spread on top of the corn mixture. Bake 45 minutes, until bubbling and top is lightly brown. Remove from oven and let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

NOTE: You can use prepared or bottled pesto, but make sure it has some oil, because that's a part of making the sauce. I used Trader Joe's but it seemed a little dry, so I added a little more olive oil.