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Thursday, January 23, 2014

Winter cooking using canned corn: Golden Corn Pudding




More winter vegetable dishes, using what's in my pantry, freezer and fridge. So, technically, corn is a grain and not a vegetable. But we often eat it like a vegetable.

Corn pudding is one of those dishes that you can add ingredients to and make it a hearty, main attraction for supper, or leave it plain, and it's a nice side. It often makes an appearance on our Thanksgiving table, as it's a favorite of my kids.

There are several possible add-ins: grated cheese, chopped ham, diced fresh or frozen green bell pepper, minced hot peppers (I like jalapenos), or crumbled bacon.

Corn pudding last week had frozen, leftover Christmas ham as the only add-in, but it was very hearty. I found canned corn on sale for 50 cents per can in November. Along with the ham, eggs, cream and water, this main dish cost just under $2 to serve 4 of us.

Golden Corn Pudding



serves 4 or 5

ingredients:

one 15.25 oz can of corn, with liquid
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
cream, milk or water, to add to corn liquid (drained corn liquid + extra liquid = 1 cup total)
2 eggs, separated (whites in a medium to large bowl, yolks in a small dish)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika

optional add-ins (one or several):
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 1/2 cups chopped ham
1/4 cup diced bell pepper
small amount of fresh hot peppers, minced (I like about 1/2 of a jalapeno, minced)
1/4 cup crumbled, cooked bacon


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 2-quart round casserole or souffle baker.


Drain can of corn, reserving liquid in a measuring cup. Add cream, milk or water to reserved liquid to make 1 cup of liquid, total.

In a medium saucepan over Medium heat, melt butter. Stir in flour. Combine this with reserved corn liquid plus extra liquid of choice (cream, milk or water,) stirring well. Continue cooking until sauce is smooth and has thickened. Add drained corn, peppers and/or ham or bacon. Remove from heat.

Beat the egg yolks with a fork. Spoon a tablespoon of the sauce over egg yolks, and stir well. Add another spoonful of hot sauce to egg yolks, and stir well. Repeat one more time.

Add the warmed egg yolks to the sauce. Stir well. Return to heat (Medium), stir and heat for 3 or 4 minutes, until egg yolks have cooked and thickened the sauce slightly. Stir in salt and paprika. Remove from heat.

In medium or large bowl, use a mixer to whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Sprinkle with grated cheese (optional). Fold the egg yolk, sauce and corn mixture into the stiff egg whites and grated cheese.

Transfer to a prepared casserole or souffle baker. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until puffy, golden and eggs are set. Serve immediately.




10 comments:

  1. This is more steps than I usually like to do, especially whipping egg whites to a peak with my little hand mixer. Have you ever made it by adding beaten whole eggs carefully to the sauce?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      No, I've never tried it using whole eggs. I make souffle often, when we have a lot of eggs, so this doesn't seem difficult, or too lengthy a recipe, to me. I imagine that with whole eggs, the pudding would be dense, not light and fluffy, as in this recipe. But it would still bake just fine.

      Delete
  2. Thanks for all the info! I have a son who doesn't like "stuff" in his food so I tend to avoid a lot of casserole-y dishes. I made scalloped potatoes/onions/ham in the crockpot yesterday and while the rest of us loved it, he didn't like it. He does like ham & potato soup, so, go figure.

    12 inches of snow here yesterday. Possible blizzard conditions tomorrow. It's the winter that won't go away.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      You know, a lot of kids don't like "stuff" in their food. I didn't like any condiments on my hamburgers, as a little girl. At McDonalds, I ordered mine plain, and we all had to wait for my burger to be cooked specially for me. My son didn't like onions or green peppers in dishes. My concession with him was that he could pick those bits out, and leave them on the side of his plate.

      12 inches of snow -- that's a good storm! Not a speck of snow, here. It could still snow for another 6 weeks, but the likelihood is diminishing greatly, with each passing week.

      Delete
    2. We let our kids pick out what they absolutely hate from their food--I was initially resistant to it (my mom taught me that you eat everything and no whining) but sometimes you have to pick your battles. As they get older I have encouraged them to do less "picking". I also, on some dishes, will keep the meat separate from the sauce (my son doesn't like spaghetti sauce or sloppy joe sauce) and have him eat just the meat and noodles or bun. I think he has a hard time tolerating sloppy textures (I'm dropping into my "OT sensory issues" here!) so I do try to be mindful of that.

      We were only predicted to get 1-3 inches of snow--sometimes if the wind blows just right off Lake Michigan, we are all taken by surprise. Today is bright and sunny so it's beautiful out.

      Delete
    3. I do understand the texture thing. I know someone who has a hard time with mixed textures -- chunks of stuff in otherwise smooth textures.

      I keep forgetting that half the country has snow on the ground. They're calling this springtime in January, for us in Seattle. I wouldn't exactly say that it feels like spring, but the primroses are all blooming.

      Delete
  3. Oh this looks so yummy! I love corn puddings. They remind me of home. Do you ever add corn meal? My grandmama use to make corn pudding. but I think hers had corn meal in it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jacqueline,
      Your grandmama's sounds a lot like what we call spoon bread. It's a pudding-type texture, but with cornmeal. I love spoon bread! I haven't made that this year. I'll have to add spoon bread to the menu soon.

      Delete
  4. Replies
    1. Hi Belinda,
      Thank you! One of my daughters is "in heaven" when I fix this!

      Delete

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