I thought I might be the only person on earth who has not only heard of, but eaten this stuff. One of my friends at work is from Mexico, and we were just discussing the yumminess of this stuff about a month ago.

I’ve never used it to cook with, I only ate some at a tapas restaurant. I had heard about it, and thought I would like to try it, despite the fact that it is referred to in English as corn smut. I think you might have the spelling incorrect, though. I’ve always seen it spelled as huitlacoche. I didn’t know it came canned. I think the stuff I had was probably fresh, like mushrooms, but I’m not positive.

The tapas thing I had was kind of like a chile relleno. It was wonderful. I’m thinking that it would taste great with your favorite fried cheese (which I can’t recall the name of right now). I would think it would be good in cheese enchiladas too. The other thought I had was that it would probably taste good in an omelette or with huevos rancheros.

It basically tastes like really good, earthy mushrooms.

This Huitlacoche Tart looks pretty tasty.

So do these Huitlacoche Enchiladas Verdes

This recipe is right up your alley. Huitlacoche and Potato Soup with Oaxaca Cheese Croutons

I’ve had many yummy vegetarian empanadas before, but this one has Huitlacoche and Black Beans. Delicous!

Hope something here sounds good. Let me know how you like it.

Ha! The tarts sound delicious, however the author states, “If you cannot find Huitlacoche fresh or frozen, I’d stay away from the ones in the can.” I have a can, and that, incidentally, is where the spelling came from. When I was looking on-line, I found cans selling for $12.95!! Makes mine look like a bargain at $3.65.

The enchiladas are probably closest to something I would make at this time.

The soup looks great, and calls for canned. Tuck away for cooler weather.

The empanadas are probably the most likely dish I would order in a restaurant if available.

I might have to just make scrambled eggs of an omelet, just so I can open the can.

Thanks for the suggestions and all the effort, @Kardamom!

Corn smut fungus as a delicacy? Well….I have learned something new today. Enjoy @ibstubro and report back, if you’re still alive that is. haha
I think @Kardamom could make something tasty out of just about anything. :-)

This is the exact product that I bought.

If you look, apparently the photographer for the soup didn’t read the recipe:
“2. Let soup rest for 5 minutes. Carefully blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning if necessary.”

It’s really unfortunate that the colloquial name for it is “corn smut”.

We tend to forget that mushrooms, even the most costly Jalanese ones commanding a higher price as a delicacy, are basically a fungus, plain and simple.

The only difference is the growing medium. And in this case the growing medium is the ear of corn itself so why wouldn’t it taste good? I mean some mushrooms are raised in wood pulp or dung so surely corn fungus has to be better tasting than either of those :)

But the primary problem is that it is canned rather than fresh, so you’re not getting the true taste of it in the same way that canned mushrooms are so inferior to fresh.

I mean, they’re OK in a pinch but most people wouldn’t prefer canned mushrooms over fresh.

That being said, I’m going to assume that it will be little different from canned mushrooms. So, not horrible but definitely nothing to get your hopes up about. I don’t want to disillusion you too much but if you think of using them in the same manner as you would canned mushrooms, you can’t go too far wrong.

But if you really want to taste what all the fuss is about, you’d best get yourself to the Southwest US or Mexico around harvest time, preferably a Mexican style restaurant. They are the folks who perfected cooking corn fungus into an art so why not go to the source ?

Any of the times I’ve seen it used on Food Network, it’s usually been in the context of Tex-Mex type of preparations.

Bobby Flsy uses it and they’ve used it on Iron Chef. But because it’s such an extremely seasonal and regional item, I can’t imagine it really getting traction in the rest of the country.

So, any recipes you find with canned mushrooms should stand you in good stead.

Let us know how it works out for you.

I had the fresh stuff and it was nom nom.

I can’t wait to hear @ibstubro‘s reaction/definition of what it tastes like directly out of the can.

I’m one of those people who actually like canned mushrooms, as well as fresh, so I’d probably like it.

If I ever come back to Fluther with an alter ego, I think I shall call myself Corn Smut.

It’s killing me not to just open the can and taste of it. But at $4 a can, I’d like some plan of attack. If I want more, it’s a 45 minute drive. If I don’t get the can opened tomorrow, it’ll be days later.

I have a can of Baba Ghanouj I bought at an ethnic market in St. Louis that keeps staring at me, too. I think I’d rather eat it with Naan than pita. Are there other things I can do with it besides eat it with bread? I’ve had it homemade in a Arabic restaurant, and that was plenty there (it was *delicious”!), but once I open the can, it’s all mine at home.

@ibstubro Just open the damn can and try it!
If you love it go back for more, if you hate it or are neutral, then it’s a wrap. haha
You could die of an anuerism in your sleep tonight or drown in your bath, open-the-can-now!

Not tonight.

Dunno when I had a bath!

@ibstubro I’ve had baba ganoush in a can and it was just as good as the fresh stuff. I like the idea of spreading it on naan. If you really want to be fancy, add some pitted kalamata olives and some chopped tomatoes and some fresh mint.

This might sound weird, but I think baba ganoush would taste really good spread onto corn bread. Not the sweet kind, the regular kind.