Summer Corn Pudding

I love corn pudding. Traditionally my family serves it at Thanksgiving, but with corn just coming into season around here, I knew I had to find a way to incorporate it into my summer eating. Not quite a souffle, this pudding is airy and sweet with a touch of savory heat. It's a perfect side dish for those dog days of summer when you don't feel like eating anything too heavy.

I searched for a good corn pudding recipe and came across this one from Vegetarian Times. I loved the idea of individual puddings, so I snagged that and adapted the recipe to have a bit more of a zing to it.

This recipe was a part of the vegetarian meal I cooked for my family on a recent visit home. These little babies were a big hit! The individual serving size makes them perfect for large gatherings of people, and they make quite a statement with their puffy browned tops that give way to a satisfyingly light pudding.

I don't own individual ramekins, so as you can see in the above picture I just used mugs. Any oven-safe ceramic container will work, although you may have to adjust your cooking time if your container is larger/smaller. Be sure to fill them only 3/4 of the way, as the pudding will rise in the oven. The puddings are done when they are big and puffy and the top is slightly browned and firm. Once removed from the oven, they will fall a little.


Bain taitneamh as do bheil!


PREP TIME: 30 minutes
COOKING TIME: 30-40 minutes
SERVES: 4-5, depending on the size of your containers


INGREDIENTS:
6 ears of corn, kernels removed, divided
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, ribs & seeds removed, roughly chopped
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup whole milk or half & half
1 large red bell pepper, diced finely
3 large eggs, beaten
1 large pinch kosher salt
4-5 twists of the pepper mill
cooking spray


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the kernels from 4 ears of corn, diced onion, chopped jalapeno, milk and cheese in a food processor. Blend until a smooth paste forms. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in finely diced red bell pepper, kernels from the remaining 2 ears of corn, beaten eggs, salt and pepper, taking care to thoroughly incorporate.

Coat the inside of the ramekins (or mugs!) with cooking spray. Divide corn mixture evenly between ramekins, filling only 3/4 of the way to the top. Place ramekins in a large casserole dish with deep sides and add enough hot water to the dish so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the ramekins.

Pudding in it's water bath:

Carefully place in oven (it's heavy!) and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until pudding tops are brown and firm. Remove ramekins from the water with tongs-- they will be hot!

Serve as a statement-making side dish to your next summer meal soiree!