ArcaMax

Mention corn, and the first thing that comes to my mind is the children's game of hide and seek. When I was growing up in the Austrian countryside in the 1950s, the rich, sweet grain meant running with my friends through the high stalks of ripe summer corn, trying to catch each other.

If you suggested then that I eat corn, I would have laughed. That's what pigs and cows did -- unless, of course, the dried grain was ground and cooked into the mush known as polenta, something my mother made because we lived so close to northern Italy.

So I remember how amazed I was back in the summer of 1982 when I first visited my favorite organic produce growers, the small family-owned Chino Farm in the northern San Diego County town of Rancho Santa Fe. When I saw their beautiful cornfields, my first impulse was to dash into them and hide. But then Tom Chino, who runs the 55-acre farm started by his Japanese-immigrant parents, picked an ear of their renowned white corn and told me to bite into, raw. I couldn't believe how sweet and delicious it tasted.

I learned then and there how good freshly picked summer sweet corn could be. But that's also the problem. Once corn is picked, its natural sugars slowly but surely start turning into starch, muting the flavor.

There are several ways, though, to ensure that you enjoy corn at its best. If you have a garden, you can grow your own. At the very least, look for the freshest corn available. Even in cities, many people live only a short drive from a good farm stand. Farmers' markets, too, promise a chance to buy recently harvested corn from local growers, some of whom may even practice organic methods. Supermarkets and greengrocers, too, may offer good corn. Seek out fresh-looking green husks and stalks that appear recently cut rather than brown and shriveled. You could also try widely available corn hybrids known as "supersweet" varieties, whose kernels stay sweeter for several days.

If your corn is good, you really don't have to do much to enjoy it at its best. I like to grill corn, which caramelizes its sugars. Then I serve it with one or more quickly prepared seasoned butters, like the two for which I offer recipes here. (It's easy to compose your own with favorite seasonings, mixing in barbecue sauce for a Western-style flavor or soy sauce, ginger and garlic for an Asian butter.) The butters work just as well if you choose to boil the corn instead of grilling.

Try corn my way and I can guarantee you one thing -- no one will play hide and seek at serving time.

GRILLED CORN WITH TWO FLAVORED BUTTERS

Serves 8

Jalapeño-Honey Butter

2 fresh jalapeño chiles, stemmed and finely chopped, with seeds

1/2 cup honey

8 ounces unsalted butter

Parmesan-Tomato-Oregano Butter

8 ounces unsalted butter

1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano leaves, or 1 tablespoon dried oregano

6 pieces oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

8 ears freshly picked sweet corn, husks and silk removed

Extra-virgin olive oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Build a fire in a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill.

Meanwhile, prepare the flavored butters. For the Jalapeño-Honey Butter, put the chiles and honey in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the honey starts to bubble, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Add the butter and, with an immersion blender, puree the mixture in the pan; alternatively, transfer the honey-chili mixture and the butter to a food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade and puree. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

For the Parmesan-Tomato-Oregano Butter, put all the ingredients in a clean food processor fitted with the stainless-steel blade. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

When the fire is hot, use a barbecue poker or shovel to carefully push the coals to one side; or turn off one of the burners. Lightly brush the corn with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place the corn over the cooler part of the fire bed, away from the heat, and cook it, turning it frequently with long-handled tongs, until the kernels are uniformly golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. About 3 minutes before the corn is done, lightly brush each ear with a little of the seasoned butter of your choice. As soon as the corn is done, serve it immediately, passing the seasoned butters for guests to apply generously to taste.