#boiled corn

From The Wise Little Hen

The History

So we all know that this short is Donald Duck's first appearance, but could we count it as Clara Cluck's first appearance as well? Is she the Wise Little Hen in the title?

For those who don't know, Clara Cluck is a part of Mickey's gang, and before Daisy existed she was often paired with Donald as a dancing partner.

Since then, she's become decidedly a second fiddle to the rest the gang, and is perhaps the least well known of the classic characters.

For arguably good reason, as she's very much a one note joke. She's an opera singer that sounds like chicken... For she is a chicken. Get it?

Yeah the joke doesn't have much traction and there's little to her personality beyond that. Which is a shame as you could do a lot comedically with a mediocre diva type character.

In the comics she fares a little better as Daisy's best friend, the same way Clarabelle Cow acts as Minnie Mouse's best gal pal in the Mickey comics. However, outside of occasionally paring her up with Panchito Pistoles, which can be fun to see, there's still very little focus given to her.

But let's get back to the question at hand, is Clara Cluck the Wise Little Hen? Well they share a very similar design, are voiced by the same voice actress, and in the Disney parks Clara sports the same costume as the titular hero of this silly symphony.

To my mind, I say yes, this is her first appearance same as Donald's. Not that most official Disney sources will recognize this fact.

The Food

The side dish for Clara's corn feast is boiled corn slathered in butter. Now boiled corn might be one of the easiest foods you can make, so we got a short recipe today.

Ingredients

Ears of Corn

Water

Butter

Salt

Cookware

Large pot for boiling

Directions

Shuck the corn, if using fresh. If frozen set out to thaw.

Fill a large pot full of water.

Add corn

Bring water to a boil

Cook corn for 5 to 7 mins (if using frozen corn cobs, cook for about 10 to 12 mins)

Once done, remove the corn and set on plate

Cover corn with butter and salt to taste. Then serve.

If you are using fresh corn you can save the husks and corn silk for other recipes. The husks are good for tamales and the corn silk can be added to salads.

As for boiled corn itself, salt and butter are just the basic base flavorings. You can also add other seasonings, like black pepper or Cajun spice, or throw some parmesan cheese on top. Get creative with it.