Gray’s Grist Mill

When I first started researching corn, it didn’t take long to realize that there was a lot of ground to cover. I traveled in Mexico, recreated dishes from early colonial history, and looked into who was eating what, where, and when.

One tidbit I picked up early on was that, if you were from Rhode Island and you wanted to make Johnny cakes, you had to make them from Rhode Island Narragansett flint corn. No exceptions. There were mills closer to home that were stone-grinding corn, but a bit of research turned up an outlet that could get me the requisite corn for these early Johnny cakes—from Gray’s Grist Mill in, of course, Rhode Island. Gray’s has been grinding corn for 360 years, so I was getting a bit of history with my history.

In time, the focus of my research narrowed, of necessity, and turned into the book Midwest Maize: How Corn Shaped the U.S. Heartland. However, I am still in contact with Gray’s Grist Mill, as I wouldn’t want to try to pass off something as an authentic Johnny cake without their stone-ground Rhode Island Narragansett flint corn meal.

Of course, if you’re not making Johnny cakes, you can use a wider range of corn varieties (and I do, as there are a lot more things to do with corn meal than just make Johnny cakes). You can search for local historic grist mills (there are many still operating) or just buy a good brand at the local grocery store. But every once in a while, it’s fun to indulge in something a bit more historic. So, in fact you’re interested, here’s the site for Gray’s: http://www.graysgristmill.com/grays/

And, should you wish to see a bit of what they do, here’s a video of their operation and their current miller at work.

Corn Silk Tea

Most folks are at least somewhat aware that corn has many uses. But I just encountered a new one (new to me, that is). An article in Plate Magazine reports that New York’s Atoboy Restaurant offers on their drink menu a beverage that is particularly suited to their cuisine: corn silk tea.

The article, written by Amy Cavanaugh, relates that the restaurant’s co-owner Ellia Park says the beverage reflects her Korean heritage. The article notes that the corn silk is dried for three to four days before it’s ready to be brewed, then just steep it in boiling for 10 to 15 minutes. It can be served hot or iced.

Cavanaugh shares Park’s description of the beverage: “There’s a natural nutty flavor with some sweetness.” Sounds nice.

If you like knowing what is going on in the restaurant world, Plate is a great resource. I have had the great good fortune of writing for Plate (a piece on the culinary history of the Caribbean), but I liked them before that. And now I have another reason to like them: they’ve introduced me to something else that can be made with corn.