Corn Pudding

I saw an article from the New York Times about which states feature which traditional side dishes over Thanksgiving, based on Internet searches.  Virginia seems to like corn pudding.  Tara and I thought that seemed like a good thing to try so we made it together.  Yes, we made it after Thanksgiving, but there were only five of us and we didn't need any more dishes for our meal on Thanksgiving.

I followed the recipe I found from the New York Times article.  It used a bit of sugar for a sweet pudding.  If (when) I make it again, I will leave out the sugar and make a more savory version.. I might even add a bit of cheese.

 

Corn Pudding

3 Tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups fresh corn, about 3 ears
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups whole milk, I didn't have whole milk so I used a mix of 2% and half and half
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Heat oven to 350°.  Butter a 1 1/2 quart baking dish and set aside.

Melt the butter and let it cool for a bit.

Cut the corn from the cob.  It is kind of important to use fresh corn.  I used frozen corn from our garden and the pudding was watery on the bottom.  It was not a big deal, because I just used a slotted spoon to serve, but it would have been nicer without the excess water.

 

Place the cut corn in a bowl and add the sugar and salt.  Stir. 

 

Mix the eggs with the milk and then stir into the corn mixture. 

 

Add the melted butter.  If it is still hot, temper it by add a spoonful of the corn mixture into the butter while stirring.  Add another and keep stirring.  Then add the butter to the corn.

 

Carefully pour the mixture into the prepared dish.  Grate the nutmeg on top.

Place the baking dish in a larger baking dish.  Fill the large dish with water until it comes about halfway up the side of the smaller dish. Don't fill it too full.  You will have to carry this dish to the oven and then back out when it is REALLY hot!

Bake for 40 or 50 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  It will be wet, but should not be milky looking.

Set the whole shebang on a couple of cold burners and let it cool.  Remove the pudding and let it cool a bit more.

The corn pudding had crunchy corn and a sweet silky custard.  It was very good and I didn't hate that it was sweet.  I just remember eating a savory corn pudding and want to try and make one of those.

 


So, do you make a sweet corn pudding or a savory one?