AMISH CORN ON THE COB

Steps:

• NOTE: This is NOT a "tidy" dish to make, so create it in an area that corn kernels can safely "fly away" and not mess up anything. When the Amish make it, they have every item to be added, at the ready, so when the corn is cut from the cob in the deep bowl, the rest of the ingredients are dumped in, stirred and served within one minute of processing. The corn needs to be served HOT so the butter melts and the cheese becomes soft.
• Determine pot size to boil corn in, based on volume of corn cobs. I use a 6 quart Dutch oven to boil 4 ears in, a large canning kettle to boil up to 12 ears.
• Heat the water in your kettle to boiling. I do NOT salt my water for this, as I want the corn to be as sweet as possible and also, the Amish I learned it from do not salt their water for this recipe, either.
• While the water is coming to a boil, shuck your corn but leave on at least 2" of the stalk end, so you have a handle to grab when you are cutting the corn kernels off off of the cob. The Amish use a pot holder or kitchen towel to hold the hot corn but I use a handful of sturdy paper towels to save my hand from the heat.
• Dice the Swiss cheese into the same size as the corn kernels. Place the diced cheese, the soft butter and the dash of cayenne pepper into a small serving bowl. Set aside; this will be added to the corn bowl immediately after shucking.
• Before placing corn cobs into the water, have the following items ready: a pair of tongs to remove the corn cobs; a pot holder/paper towels to hold the hot corn; a kitchen towel or paper towels to blot the water off of the corn cob and keep them warm; a super sharp knife to cut off the kernels, and a WIDE and DEEP heat-proof bowl to cut the corn kernels into. This deep bowl is where the cut corn and Swiss cheese will be mixed and served.
• When the water has reached boiling, add corn cobs. Heat for ONLY 1-2 minutes, only until corn is almost just blanched. The kernels should be crisp and *pop* in your mouth when eaten.
• With the tongs, remove the hot corn cobs and place onto the kitchen towel, to blot the water and stay covered, to keep in their heat while processing each ear of corn.
• Using the pot holder or paper towels, grab the handle of the corn and using the sharp knife, cut the kernels off the cob into the deep bowl, starting at the top and working down. The faster you work, the hotter the corn kernels will be. It's okay if they come off as "strips" of corn; they will break up when you stir them with the other ingredients.
• After the corn has been cut from the cooked ears, immediately add the diced Swiss cheese, butter and cayenne pepper to the hot corn kernels and stir until the butter is melted, about 30 seconds. The cheese should still be in chunks, not melted. Taste to see if a wee dash of more cayenne should be added.
• Serve immediately. Since this dish is to be served very hot, what the Amish do is make multiple batches if more is desired. So, they'll make the 1st batch, eat it and enjoy it, make another batch, eat and enjoy that one, equally. As with many agricultural families, when a first crop comes in of anything: corn, tomatoes, potatoes, the farm family will make their first meal nothing but the featured food. So, with the first harvest of corn, the Amish make this corn dish the entire meal, nothing else is served except a dessert. This is also the way that I grew up, so I found nothing odd about this celebration of the first season's harvest.