Zach and Dani's Creamed Corn

I made this dish a few years ago and I thought it turned out pretty good. Although I've done a lot of cooking for Zach and Dani, this is the dish that made the biggest impression; every time I see them, they ask me about it. I had thought the recipe came from Gourmet (I must have made something else from Gourmet for that meal), so I searched through all of my old issues and then searched on Epicurious, but to no avail. But last week, Safeway had Brentwood corn at six for a dollar, and of course I had to get a half dozen ears. Trying to figure out what to do with them led me to look in Cook's Illustrated's New Best Recipes and there I found the long-lost recipe. I made it again, and it was as good as we remembered. I can't wait to make it again for Zack and Danielle!

(serves 6 to 8)

Ingredients

5 medium ears fresh corn, husks and silk removed

2 Tbs. unsalted butter

1 medium shallot, minced

1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed through a garlic press

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme leaves

pinch cayenne pepper (or chipotle chile powder)

Instructions

Cut the kernels from three ears of corn and transfer them to a medium bowl. Firmly scrape the cobs with the back of a knife to collect the pulp and milk in the same bowl. Grate the remaining two ears of corn on the coarse side of a box grater set in the bowl with the cut kernels. Firmly scrape these cobs with the back of a knife to collect the pulp and milk in the same bowl.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan or large (12") saute pan over medium-high heat. When the foaming subsides, add the shallot and cook until softened but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in the corn kernels and pulp as well as the cream, thyme, cayenne, 1/4 tsp. salt, and 1/8 tsp. pepper. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary and stirring occasionally, until the corn is tender and the mixture has thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.