Corn Pudding

I am not a big fan of corn in many recipes. I will tolerate it in a taco salad, I can deal with that and I do enjoy the Steam Fresh corn. 5 minutes in the nuker and out comes corn that tastes like it just came off the cob. Yum. I don’t like creamed corn, or corn casseroles. I prefer mine on the cob, lightly buttered and salted thank you very much. My husband on the other hand loves creamed corn. So every once in a blue moon I will buy him a can of pig slop (that’s my little pet name for it) and he happily munches away on his bowl of goo.

This recipe caught my attention. Corn Pudding. Yeah I know you might be thinking, why is the girl who isn't crazy about corn casseroles making a corn pudding? I'm kooky that way, plus I thought my husband would enjoy it.

This is a recipe from the former Mrs. Joel, Katie Lee. I guess she's quite the little Southern cook. I saw this is the latest issue of Food & Wine and thought I might give it a whirl for the creamed corn lover in my life.



Out of the oven it came. A golden fluffy casserole. I let it cool for 5 minutes, then scooped up a big spoonful and happily carried it over to my husband. He took one bite and gave me the "ehhhh" face. "Not so good?" I asked. "I'm not crazy about it" he said. Crimeny. I went back into the kitchen and took a bite, expecting to be as underwhelmed as he was and I wasn't. Huh. This was light and creamy and sweet and had a little layer at the bottom that tasted like moist corn bread. It was good. It was very good. I can't believe the creamed corn lover wasn't impressed.

Now I said I'm not a fan of the corn casserole.

Do I have to retract that statement since I like this dish so much??




Corn Pudding
Recipe from Katie Lee
Food & Wine – Sept 2009

“Some corn puddings are really dense,” says Katie. “The egg whites here make this one lighter”. The cornmeal in the recipe settles a bit in the bottom of the baking dish, almost creating a layer of cornbread under the moist, sweet pudding.

Corn Pudding
Printable recipe
2 cups milk
½ cup heavy cream
4 medium ears of corn, shucked
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
1 stick unsalted butter
½ cup cornmeal
6 large eggs, separated
3 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (about a cup)
1 teaspoon, plus 1 pinch salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 10x15 inch-baking dish. In a large saucepan, bring the milk and cream to a simmer over moderate heat. Add the ears of corn cover and cook over moderately low heat, turning a few times, until tender (about 10 minutes).

Steps 2 - Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until softened (about 8 minutes).

Step – 3 Transfer the corn to a plate to cool. Remove the saucepan from the heat and swirl in the butter until melted. Let it cool to room temperature. Using a serrated knife cut the kernels off the cobs and add to the saucepan with the milk and cream. Add the onions to the saucepan as well. Whisk in the cornmeal, egg yolks, cheddar and 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper.



In a large stainless steel bowl, beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt at high speed until firm peaks form. Fold the whites into the corn mixture and pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake for about 30 minutes, until puffed and golden brown. Let the pudding rest for 5 minutes before serving.

This pudding can be made ahead up until Step 3 and refrigerated overnight.

Bring to room temperature before proceeding.