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It seems like I’m reviewing a lot of cookbooks lately, but I’ve collected so many over the years, that it’s time to pull them out and get to all those recipes I said I’d get to one day. I can’t wait to dig into some more of this cookbook’s recipes.
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Throw a salad on the side, maybe a few Yukon Golds with butter, and you’ll have a satisfying, delicious meal. This Flank Steak with Roasted Grapes and Mushrooms can be made for company, but is also a great go-to for a weeknight dinner. I can see making it with skirt steak, too, and cut down the roasting time. It really didn’t take to long to make – about 15 minutes on the steak, including oven time, and about ten minutes on the mushroom/grape sauce. The sauce makes my mouth water and the savory mushrooms combined with the sweet/tart seedless purple grapes are great. Be sure and watch the times on cooking the steak, since the cut is not very thick. Flank steak can be tough and chewy, and admittedly it never gets fall-apart tender, but this was cooked to perfection. The second time I made this flank steak, it was perfect. There were a few changes for our tastes – no shallot (for Bret, not me – I love ’em), brandy instead of sherry since that’s what I had in the cabinet (from 1998, I think…) and I cut the salt back a bit. I over-roasted the steak a bit, though, and decided it needed to be made again and next time cook it to just between medium-rare and medium. I made this immediately after receiving the book and wasn’t disappointed.
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The $25.00 Amazon gift certificate helped make that decision, too. I kept flipping through the recipes (Amazon has a “Look Inside” feature where you can see quite a few of the recipes – just enough to entice you to buy the book) and decided I had to have it. I could just taste it – steak, sauteed grapes and mushrooms in a brandy wine sauce! It sounded marvelous. Giada de Laurentiis has a cookbook out called My Recipes for La Dolce Vita (ah, the sweet life) and in flipping through it on Amazon, I saw the photo and recipe for Flank Steak with Roasted Grapes and Mushrooms. This isn’t a make-ahead side, but besides the small amount of chopping and grating, it’s fairly easily to make. I do think this dish needs to be served immediately or within 30 minutes to be at its best. We had this Creamy Sweet Corn with Pancetta as a side to grilled steak, fresh tomato, and chunks of sweet watermelon. I’ve never used mascarpone cheese because I always thought it was gritty like ricotta, but it’s actually like a very smooth cream cheese and slightly richer. I loved the creaminess the mascarpone cheese gave it, Then you add the Parmigiano-Reggiano and you have a cheesy, creamy corn dish made substantial with the chopped pancetta. I also used a bit more pancetta because I had some leftover from another Giada recipe and it caused it to be a bit salty, so I left the salt out altogether. Instead, I used a small potato and it gave the dish a nice texture along with the corn. I adapted it quite a bit, mainly because I didn’t want to use a fennel bulb in it. This Creamy Sweet Corn with Pancetta by Giada de Laurentiis is from her latest book, Giada’s Italy (My Recipes for La Dolce Vita). It’s easy to cut corn off the cob (set up the cob vertically in a bowl and slice the corn off with a paring knife) and the little effort it takes is worth it. You may have noticed I make quite a few recipes with fresh corn and that’s because besides being good for you, it tastes great. At this point you can sprinkle with any extra salt or pepper you may want.Summer corn! I love it all year long, but Summer corn is the best. Once both sides are golden brown then remove from the pan and set on a tray lined with a paper towel to absorb any extra oil. Then carefully flip using a spatula to cook the other side.
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Let the batter cook in the oil for about 2-3 minutes, you will see the edges starting to turn golden. Press the batter down to compact it, and press the sides in to help create a patty shape using a rubber spatula. FRY FRITTERS: Place a scoop of the corn fritter batter, about a 1/4 cup amount into the hot oil.HEAT OIL: Heat a pan over medium high heat, add a drizzle of olive oil, coat the bottom of the pan.MIX BATTER: Pour in the beaten eggs, milk, and cheese.COMBINE: Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the corn.MIX DRY INGREDIENTS: In a small bowl add the flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, chili powder and stir to combine.Add in the diced green cilantro, green onion, diced jalapeno, and squeeze in the lime juice. If using fresh corn, cut all the kernels off the cob. PREPARE CORN: Add the corn to a large bowl.