This might not be the ideal moment to admit that I am not a fan of summer. Or at least, I am not a fan of this summer. Multi-week, record-breaking heatwaves in a city that hardly has air-conditioning? Let’s just say that I’ve been counting down the days until autumn. Perhaps I shouldn’t wish summer away quite so hastily, however – not before taking advantage of the season’s produce.
This time of year offers an absurd, technicoloured bounty: Tomatoes and aubergines are arriving, peppers are plump, peaches and plums are falling off the trees, and there are still punnets of cherries and strawberries about.
And then there’s sweetcorn – always a nostalgic summertime favourite, thanks to my childhood spent in the American Midwest. We used to have it simply, just grilled and slathered in butter. More recently, I’ve enjoyed it in sweetcorn butter toast and salads. Now, I’m adding it to nachos.
After receiving a can of Yonder’s Pink Grapefruit Paloma, I knew I wanted to pair it with a Mexican–inspired snack. Inspired by the tequila–based cocktail, this grapefruit- and lime-scented gose is zesty and lightly saline. It’s ridiculously refreshing, in other words, and crying out for a salty, crunchy snack on the side.
Nachos are ideal, both as a pairing and for the season. They require little cooking (other than a short stint under the grill, which shouldn’t heat up the house too much). Rather than go with the typical nachos, however, which come loaded with refried beans and beef mince,I opted to make a lighter, fresher version. This recipe takes inspiration from esquites, the Mexican street food of creamy, cheesy, spiced sweetcorn, but consist of a pile of tortilla chips, melted cheese and whipped feta in place of the crema and queso cotija often used in esquites. Avocado and jalapeño slices, lime juice and coriander add freshness and greenery, while a final sprinkle of cayenne or Tajín imparts a purring heat.
With a big plate in front of me, and a glass of the Pink Grapefruit Paloma on the side, I can almost trick myself into loving summer. Almost…
Esquites Nachos
Serves 2 as a main course or 4 as starters
For the whipped feta:
100g feta (look for high-quality, barrel-aged feta like this one)
75g full-fat Greek yoghurt
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the nachos:
1 ear sweetcorn
Salted butter, to taste
150g tortilla chips (I like Mi Adelita)
200g shredded cheese (I used a mix of mozzarella, cheddar and Emmental)
1-2 jalapeños
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 lime Fresh coriander, to garnish
Cayenne pepper or Tajín, to garnish (use less Tajín, as it contains salt)
1. First, prepare the whipped feta. Crumble the cheese into the bowl of a food processor and add the yoghurt. Blend on high, pausing to scrape down the sides, or until mostly uniform. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil; the mixture should become silky and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
2. Preheat your oven’s grill to its highest setting. Line a baking sheet with foil. Shuck the ear of corn and remove any silk. Once the grill is preheated, place the corn on the baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Grill for several minutes, or until beginning to brown and char.
3. Remove from the oven, rub lightly with butter and rotate the corn before placing back under the grill. Repeat until it is evenly browned on all sides. Leave until cool enough to handle; then, stand the corn on end and slice off the kernels using a sharp knife (I find a bread knife works well). Set aside.
4. Leave the grill on and prepare the tray of nachos. Line one large tray with baking paper and sprinkle over roughly ¼ of the shredded cheese as a base layer. Top with roughly ⅓ of the tortilla chips in a single layer. Thinly slice your jalapeños and add ⅓ of the total slices, as well as roughly ⅓ of the sweetcorn kernels.
5. Repeat this process twice more, topping your initial layer with more cheese, tortilla chips, jalapeño slices and sweetcorn kernels. Sprinkle over the final ¼ of cheese on top.
6. Cover your tray loosely with foil and transfer to the grill. Cook for 5-6 minutes, or until the cheese has melted all the way through. Remove the foil and grill the nachos for roughly 1 minute more, until slightly bronzed on top, being careful not to let them burn.
7. Halve and pit the avocado, and thinly slice, arranging the slices over the nachos. Squeeze over the lime juice and drizzle over the whipped feta. Finish with fresh coriander, plus cayenne pepper or Tajín to garnish, and enjoy without delay.
Claire M Bullen is a professional food and travel writer, a beer hound and all-around lover of tasty things. You can follow her at @clairembullen. For more recipes like this, sign up to our HB&B All Killer No Filler beer subscription - you'll receive Claire's recipe and food pairings, plus expert tasting notes, with 10 world-class beers like this one every month.
