Food Lust People Love

Sunday, August 2, 2026

Elotes – Spicy Cheesy Grilled Corn

A great summer dish when sweet corn is at its peak, these elotes - spicy cheesy grilled corn - will be eaten with gusto. They are a tasty side for any barbecue.

A couple of summers ago, my favorite now-shuttered (RIP) food magazine, delicious. published a recipe for elotes which looked gorgeous! The creative team had pulled back the husks on whole ears of corn and braided them to use as handles while grilling – and for eating!

I thought that was one of the cleverest things I’d seen in a very long time so you know I had to try it. The problem is, in Jersey, here in the Channel Islands, I had never seen corn on the cob still in the husk. It always arrived in our shops fully denuded.

BUT, we took a trip to the mainland to visit friends and do some shopping and by some miracle, we came across a farmer’s market in London one Sunday and woo hoo! There was sweetcorn. Unshucked! It wasn’t cheap but, at that point, I didn’t care.

I bought four, brought them home in the car on the ferry and made this dish for the first time. We ate the elotes with grilled local octopus and it was wonderful.

The very next summer, I finally found whole, intact ears of corn at a farm shop on the east side of the Island (we live in the west side) so I was delighted to make this again! Between the first and second time, I had managed to procured some Tajín, which added more flavorful elements to the finished dish. We enjoyed it with grilled duck breast.

Hey, when you have the coals lit already, why not make full use of them? It just makes sense and my husband, the master griller, is always willing to do the needful.

Elotes – Spicy Cheesy Grilled Corn

If you can’t find Mexican crema, you can substitute plain Greek yogurt like I did or use sour cream. This recipe is adapted from an old one on Serious Eats.

Ingredients

½ cup or 110g finely crumbled Cotija or feta cheese

¼ cup or 60ml mayonnaise

¼ cup or 60ml Mexican crema or plain Greek yogurt (or sour cream)

¼ cup finely chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems

½ teaspoon cayenne

½ teaspoon smoked paprika

1 clove garlic, finely grated

4 ears corn on the cob with husks intact

To sprinkle on:

Tajín OR more cayenne and smoked paprika

Method

Combine ½ of the cheese, mayonnaise, crema or yogurt, cilantro, cayenne, smoked paprika and garlic in a large bowl. Stir until homogeneous and set aside.

Steam the whole cobs, husks on, for five minutes. Gently pull the husks back and remove the silk. Braid the husks and secure the ends with string, if necessary.

Cover the braided husks with aluminum foil.

Light a chimney fire starter full of charcoal. This is the one we have. It’s a Weber. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour it out and spread the coals evenly over the coal grate.

Place the corn directly over the hot coals and cook, rotating occasionally, until the ears are a little charred in spots on all sides.

Place the ears on a plate or cutting board and remove the foil.

Coat the corn with the cheese mixture, then sprinkle on the reserved cheese and some Tajín. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes with corn. Many thanks to our host, Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm. Check out the corny links below.

All the Summer's Darlings Salad from Culinary Cam
Cachapas - Venezuelan Corn Pancakes from Mayuri's Jikoni
Corn Patties / Corn Potato Chops from Sneha's Recipe
Elotes - Spicy Cheesy Grilled Corn from Food Lust People Love
Fresh Corn Relish Salad from Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
Roasted Corn and Sweet Pepper Chopped Salad with Tomatoes, Black Beans and Summer Squash from Karen's Kitchen Stories
Smoked Paprika Cornbread Croutons from Amy's Cooking Adventures
Southwestern Corn Salad with Chives from Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Succotash Salad from A Day in the Life on the Farm

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Elotes – Spicy Cheesy Grilled Corn!

Sunday, July 26, 2026

Chorizo Cream Cheese Spread

This wonderful chorizo cream cheese spread is a variation of a Canarian traditional almogrote, which is made with aged cheese, garlic and paprika. It is delicious spread on bagels for breakfast or baguette slices as an appetizer.

Almogrote is a traditional spread made from hard cheese, peppers, olive oil and garlic from La Gomera, a small island in the Canary Islands archipelago. It is very popular throughout the Canary Islands.

I did find recipes for versions made with cream cheese in addition to the requisite hard cheese but I couldn’t find a single recipe that added chorizo. This is probably sacrilege but I really, really wanted to add spicy chorizo to mine. So as not to anger the Gomero gods, I am absolutely not calling this almogrote!

It is a little spicy from the chorizo, so cheesy and super spreadable. We loved it! P.S. It's also perfect for l'apéro, if you are making a list.

Chorizo Cream Cheese Spread

I used an imported Spanish chorizo labeled extra fort in French. This translates to extra strong but in the case of some food items actually means extra spicy. (Our favorite spicy French canned sardines are also extra fort!) I bought the chorizo when we were in France because we like spicy things. Substitute your favorite cured chorizo.

Ingredients

3 ½ oz or 100g spicy cured chorizo (NOT the raw, ground meat variety)

150g cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cloves garlic, grated

3 ½ oz or 100g aged goat or sheep cheese, finely grated

1 teaspoon paprika

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Few good grinds black pepper

Method

Remove the casing and cut the chorizo into small pieces.

Process it in a food processor until it is in little bitty bits. Remove it to a bowl large enough to mix the rest of the ingredients in later.

Put the cream cheese and grated garlic in the food processor and process until smooth.

Add the grated aged cheese and the paprika, mixing well. My food processor is small so I added the cheese in two stages so it would all fit.

Scrape the mixture into a bowl with the chopped chorizo. Stir well to combine.

Drizzle in some olive oil and mix well, until you get a good spreading consistency. You may not need to use all of the oil.

Add in a few good grinds of black pepper and mix again.

Cover the bowl with cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld and intensify.

Before serving, remove it from the refrigerator and let it warm up a little bit for more flavor and to make spreading easier.

Spread on your bagels or bread!

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes for National Bagelfest Day which is celebrated annually on July 26th! Many thanks to our host, Mayuri from Mayuri’s Jikoni. Check out the links below.

Boursin and Salmon Bagel from A Day in the Life on the Farm
Caprese Bagel from Mayuri's Jikoni
Chorizo Cream Cheese Spread from Food Lust People Love
Keto Bagel Sandwich from Sneha's Recipe
Pretzel Bagels from Karen's Kitchen Stories
The Bagel Conflict and My Left Coast Bagels from Culinary Cam

Pin this Chorizo Cream Cheese Spread!

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

Marinated Apéro Olives

A little spicy and full of flavor from garlic, lemon zest and herbs, these marinated apéro olives are perfect for serving with cocktails, beer and wine.

If you read my post from last Sunday, you saw the inspiration for this recipe in the photo of our shopping when we were in France last month. My husband chose some mixed marinated olives at a local market because when you are in France, you have to have l’apéro, short for l'apéritif - an aperitif, a drink that is meant to spark the appetite - in the evening.

L'apéro is a daily tradition there and includes getting together for drinks and nibbles with friends and family to unwind at the end of each day, usually taking place between 5-7 p.m. The supermarkets all have generous sections devoted to l’apéro, with cold cuts, sausages, crackers, cheese cubes, olives, pickles and other snacky food. One of my favorite areas of some of the best supermarkets in the world.

Marinated Apéro Olives

I’ve given the amounts of olives I used for this below but you can certainly mix and match more than one type of green and black olives. Use your favorites. My one strong recommendation is to use unpitted olives. They always taste better than already pitted ones. Simply set out a small bowl for the discarded pits when serving.

Ingredients

1 lb or 450g good quality unpitted green olives

8 oz or 225g good quality unpitted black olives

2-3 small chili peppers

3 cloves garlic

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 lemon

1 large chili pepper

½ cup or 120ml good quality extra virgin olive oil

Method

Mince the garlic and the small chili peppers and put them in a bowl that will be large enough for all of the olives.

With a sharp knife, pare the zest off of the lemon, taking care to leave the white pith behind as best you can.

Add it to the bowl. Cut the lemon in half. Squeeze the juice from lemon halves into the bowl.

Strip the leaves off of the rosemary and thyme. Chop them roughly.

Slice the large chili pepper and add it to the bowl along with the herbs. Give it all a good stir.

Gently warm the olive oil to about 100°F or 38°C. Pour it in the bowl and leave to infuse and cool for a few minutes.

Add in the olives and give the whole thing a good stir.

Leave to marinate for an hour or two unrefrigerated, then store in a glass jar or airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 weeks. I put mine in a container and tossed it around to mix again the next couple of days, when I thought about it.

Best served at room temperature with drinks of your choice! L'apéro at home!

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 15th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter O. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the O recipes below: