Southern Skillet Creamed Corn

From the garden

• 8 ears fresh sweet corn, shucked, silks rubbed off · kernels cut and the cobs scraped
• 2 tbsp fresh chives, snipped (optional)

From the pantry

• 3 tbsp butter
• ½ cup whole milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp granulated sugar (optional) · only for ears picked a few days late
• salt · to taste
• black pepper

1. Stand each ear in a wide bowl and cut the kernels off at about two thirds of their depth. Reverse the knife and scrape the bare cob hard from top to bottom to press out the starchy white milk. That scraping is the whole dish, so work over the bowl and lose nothing.
2. Melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat until it foams. Add the kernels, every drop of the cob milk, and a good pinch of salt, and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring, until the kernels lose their raw crunch and smell sweet.
3. Pour in the milk and cream and bring to a bare simmer. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring often and scraping the bottom, until the corn's own starch thickens the pan into a loose, glossy sauce that coats the back of a spoon.
4. Taste and season hard: plenty of black pepper, more salt than feels right, and the sugar only if the corn has lost its sweetness. Loosen with a splash of milk if it tightens past pourable.
5. Scatter the chives over the top and serve straight from the skillet, next to fried chicken, pork chops, or anything off the grill.