The Simple, Spicy Way Gordon Ramsay Seasons His Corn On The Cob

Corn on the cob is a blank canvas, bringing just enough sweet vegetable flavor to add to a recipe while still letting other ingredients steal the spotlight. Gordon Ramsay has a recipe that capitalizes on this to great effect with an easy-to-make topping of butter, chipotle chiles, coriander, and extra seasonings, creating something as flavorful as it is fast.

While compound butters are often found on steaks, they can add remarkable flavor to countless dishes with next to no effort and can be assembled ahead of time. Butter and corn go together like peas and carrots, but it's that sprinkle of dried chipotle chiles that really kicks it up a notch. A great substitute for smoked paprika, it has an incredibly earthy, heady bouquet that, when paired with other Latin staples like coriander, provides great depth of flavor without much fuss. You can even swap in the sauce from a can of chipotles if you don't feel like finely chopping the peppers yourself.

These three ingredients form the base of the recipe, but you can get pretty creative with the extra seasonings and really make it your own. A pinch of dried citrus zest gives you something a bit brighter if you want something to accompany a heavier entree. A bit of barbecue dry rub completely transforms the dish, giving you something perfect for a backyard grill-out. Ramsay tops his corn with some crumbled Lancashire cheese for a sharp, tangy finish.

Applying buttery corn seasoning can be a chore. The little kernels and oblong shape of the cob make it difficult to distribute the flavor evenly unless you're willing to get your hands dirty. Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can use, depending on whether you keep your butter liquidy or firm.

If you melt your butter first, your best friend is a pastry brush and tongs. Not only are they great at applying liquids over a surface, but their little bristles are fantastic at getting into pockets between kernels and distributing seasoning more evenly. If you don't have access to one, you can also fold a piece of parchment paper a few times, cut some fringes into the edge, and use that instead. You won't want to use paper towels or anything else too absorbent, as they tend to soak up rather than spread flavor and may grow soggy and stick to your corn.

If you keep your butter firm, you can spread it over a piece of bread, use it to grip your corn, and rub it all over the outside. You'll want to use rather cheap, flexible bread for this, as anything too firm will just tear when you try to mold it to the contours of the cob. Plus, it's likely to become so saturated and misshapen that you'll just end up throwing it away anyway.