Elotes

The most well-known and gratifying street food in LA. This straightforward vegetable delicacy is made with liquid margarine, creamy mayonnaise or crème Mexicana, a squeeze of tangy Mexican lime, and salty crumbled cotija cheese. Since butter or any form of substitute would never be found in Mexico, this final component is proudly a LA invention. By using refurbished grocery store shopping carts to transform this icon into a mobile delight, LA's merchants masterfully adapted it to the maze that is LA. By using a cooler filled with hot water, the ears of corn stay nice and warm.

An esquite is a variant of a typical elote, made by shaving off the corn and placing it in a cup with the same components and a small amount of seasoned corn stock. The distinctive tinkling of their bells or the repeated honks of a handheld trumpet let you know when an elotero is around. It can be used as a quick lunch, an afternoon snack, or even to put off supper for a few hours. If you want a vegan substitute or a lighter version, ask for your elote to only have salt, lime, and chile. It tastes equally as good.

Ingredients:

• 6 to 8 medium ears sweet corn, husks removed
• 1/2 cup Mexican crema, or sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest, from 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons lime juice, from 1 lime
• 1/2 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
  

Steps:

1. Heat a gas or charcoal grill to 400F: Clean the grates once it has heated.
2. Whisk together the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the crema, mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, chipotle pepper, lime zest, and lime juice. Taste and season the mixture with salt if needed. (Crema has a little salt already, so add extra judiciously.) Set aside.
3. Grill the corn: Place the husked corn directly onto grill grates. Grill the corn for about 3 minutes, undisturbed, or until kernels begin to turn golden brown and look charred. Turn over and repeat. When all sides are browned, remove from the grill onto a plate.
4. Top the corn with sauce and cheese: Using a brush or a spoon, coat each ear of corn with the crema mixture. Sprinkle with crumbled cojita cheese. Sprinkle with additional chipotle pepper, if desired. Serve immediately with extra lime wedges.