“Creamed” Corn with Scallions

All-American creamed corn typically is made with heavy cream, and sometimes even thickened with starch. But we think these ingredients blunt the sweet, grassy flavor of fresh corn, so instead we scrape the “milk” from the cobs after cutting away the kernels and blend it with a little water plus half of the kernels. Cooked with the whole kernels, the puree becomes creamy and velvety thanks to the corn’s natural starches. We don’t shy away from the butter, though, as it adds a luxurious richness, and we use savory scallions to balance the sugariness of the corn. Peak-season fresh yellow corn is best, of course, but thawed frozen corn works, too, but since you won’t have any cobs to “milk,” add an additional ¾ cup kernels into the blender for pureeing.