Image: Stuart Mullenberg
WHEN VITALY PALEY and Benjamin Bettinger rendezvous, good food follows—and, sometimes, the war drums of reality TV. Bettinger first joined the legendary Paley’s Place as a potato-peeling intern. Six years later, he was chef de cuisine. In 2008, he broke away from Paley’s Franco-inflections to launch Beaker & Flask, unleashing a new breed of whole-animal butchery with big, bold flavors and blending the cuisines of Italy, Spain, and France into an updated comfort-food menu with a porcine focus. In his world, dreamy mac and cheese is tumbled with bright crumbles of blood sausage, and tender pork cheeks sit atop tangles of pickled octopus. It was no surprise that when Paley got his turn on Iron Chef in 2011, he recruited his former right-hand man for the smoke-fueled battle—nor that the pair earned a hard-fought victory over Food Network star Jose Garces.
This August 2012, the duo teamed up once again at Paley’s downtown kitchens—Imperial and Portland Penny Diner, both in SW Broadway’s Hotel Lucia—under a banner of forgotten Americana, fusing Paley’s locavore philosophy with Bettinger’s swagger. In an ode to Bettinger’s culinary rise (the talented chef now runs the kitchen at East Burnside’s Laurelhurst Market), we’re celebrating not one of his meat masterpieces, but a seasonal side: grilled corn in a thick, spicy poblano aioli. This souped-up take on the Mexican street-food elote, traditionally served grilled or roasted and topped with mayonnaise and cotija cheese, is a quintessential late-summer snack: sweet, spicy, and mobile, with a dash of nostalgia.
Grilled Corn with Roasted Poblano Aioli
(Serves 6)
- 1 large poblano pepper
- 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 2 egg yolks
-
2 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane
or ground into a paste - 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 cup canola oil
- ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 6 ears of corn, in the husk
FOR THE AIOLI
(1) TOSS whole poblano pepper in olive oil and 1 tsp salt until coated, and grill, turning occasionally until charred black on all sides. (2) PLACE pepper in a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap to steam for 15 minutes. (3) WHISK egg yolks, garlic, mustard, lime juice, remaining salt, and black pepper together in a medium bowl. (4) WHISK canola oil into the mixture, drop by drop, until the aioli has thickened, gradually whisking in larger amounts as the aioli progresses. (5) PEEL pepper and slice it in half lengthwise, removing the stem and seeds. (6) CHOP pepper finely, and mix into the aioli with a rubber spatula until combined.
HOW TO: MAKE PERFECT AIOLI
(1) Aioli is easiest to make at room temperature, so let your eggs and other ingredients sit out to take the chill off. (2) Beat the egg yolks for a minute or so before adding the canola oil—you want them primed, thick, and sticky. (3) Add the oil slowly–literally, drops at a time–until the emulsion is nice and creamy.
FOR THE CORN
(1) PREHEAT grill over high heat and oil the grates. (2) GRILL ears of corn, turning occasionally, until husks begin to blacken, about 7 minutes. (3) REMOVE corn from grill and set aside to cool. (4) PEEL husks away from cooled ears of corn and fold them back over the stem, tying one long strand of husk around the others to create a handle, and removing any stray silk. (5) GRILL corn over high heat, turning occasionally until cooked, about 5 minutes. (6) REMOVE corn from grill, coat each cob with aioli, and sprinkle generously with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Adapted from Dishing Up Oregon © by Ashley Gartland, used with permission from Storey Publishing.
VIDEO
Watch Benjamin Bettinger prepares his grilled corn on the cob with poblano aioli
Published in the Summer Day Trips issue of Portland Monthly.
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