cornucopia…

Garlicky Corn Pudding

I’m noticing a fundamental flaw to summer – you get spurts (maybe a couple of weeks) and windows where certain vegetables and fruits peak, during which time one tends to gorge one’s self on said vegetables and fruits. So, to mitigate over-dosing, I’ve had to come up with unique and varied ways of preparing a single produce item.

So, what do you do when corn is coming out your ears (pun intended)? You have buttered hot corn on the cobb. You grill corn smothered in cheesy butter with a touch of lime. You make corn chowder. You make corn pudding. You make corn griddle cakes… You basically stuff yourself silly with corn until you really don’t want to see the blessed stuff again until next summer…

Here’s a recipe for corn pudding.  There’s no cheese involved (but there is dairy) which keeps the pudding light and surprisingly fluffy.  Although the corn is usually sweet enough on its own, I add just a tiny bit of sugar to enhance the flavor.  Don’t worry, it’s still a savory dish, one which goes very well with just about everything from fried catfish to pork tenderloin.  It’s especially great as a third spoke to tomato soup and grilled cheese. 

Garlicky Corn Pudding

3 cups of fresh whole kernel corn, (4 ears)
1 clove garlic
1 1/4 cup whole milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1/2 cup scallions, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon cracked peppercorn
3/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack in the middle of the oven.

2. Starting with the corn kernels in a large mixing bowl, put half of the corn together with the milk, eggs, and garlic into a blender and pulse until the mixture is milky and the corn is roughly chopped.  Pour the batter back into the large bowl with the rest of the whole kernels. Stir to combine.

3. To the batter, stir in salt, baking soda, sugar, flour, pepper, butter, and scallion, making sure the ingredients are well incorporated.  Pour the batter into a 1.5 quart casserole baking dish.  Sprinkle the top with nutmeg.

4. Bake in the oven for approximately 50 minutes.  The top should be golden, but not brown.  Serve immediately, or let cool, cover and refrigerate.