You could try this with fresh corn, just keep in mind that will add sugar and carbohydrates to each serving. I did cook the onions by themselves for a few minutes to get that extra caramelization and pull the sugar out of the onion. I think nothing works better for this kind of dish than an aged cast iron skillet. The one I use belonged to my mom when she was a your teen and is about 80 or 90 years old.