Rethinking Street Corn

This dish of Esquites with butter-epazote broth demonstrates the herb’s utility as a liquid flavor booster. Featured on the sides menu at New York’s Fonda Cocina Mexicana, the broth infuses each corn kernel with herbal nuance, while the chile de árbol brings heat and the queso fresco mayo adds soft tang. This isn’t just a twist on street corn; it’s a bold, flavor-forward entry point for rethinking broths and sauces through an inventive lens. Epazote’s advantage, in this context, is that it carries a subtle brightness that pairs unexpectedly well with sweet, earthy kernels, delivering balance where richness often dominates.

Flavors on the Edge is an ongoing series that explores emerging ingredients poised to become high-impact flavor builders.