WHEN I LEARNED YEARS AGO THAT THE FAMOUS Virginian chef Edna Lewis seasoned her corn pudding with a little vanilla extract, the connection between sweet New England Indian pudding and the savory one that evolved in the South immediately became apparent. Indeed, in certain nineteenth-century Southern cookbooks, the term Indian pudding (referring to Indian maize) was often used to describe a savory corn custard served both with roasted meats and as a dessert, thus compounding the confusion. Today, of course, corn pudding is strictly a savory side dish in the South, and when truly fresh sweet corn from the field is used (before the natural sugar begins to convert to starch), very little if any sugar is needed. You can certainly make the traditional pudding without the touch of vanilla, but I find that the flavoring adds a sense of mystery to the dish that is elusively captivating. When cutting the kernels of corn from the ears, be sure to scrape any milk from the cobs and add it to the mixture.
MAKES: 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 3 large eggs
- 3 cups fresh corn kernels (plus any milk scraped from the cobs)
- 2 teaspoons minced onion
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Cayenne pepper to taste
- Ground nutmeg to taste
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted and cooled
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until frothy.
- Stir in the fresh corn kernels, including any milk scraped from the cobs, and the minced onion.
- In a small bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, salt, sugar, cayenne pepper, and ground nutmeg. Stir until well blended.
- Add the flour mixture to the corn mixture and stir to combine.
- Add the melted and cooled butter, half-and-half, and vanilla extract. Stir until well blended.
- Grease a 1 1/2- to 2-quart baking dish and pour the corn mixture into it.
- Place the baking dish in a large roasting pan and place the pan in the preheated oven.
- Pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan to come one-quarter of the way up the sides of the baking dish.
- Bake the pudding for 15 minutes, then gently stir to distribute the corn as evenly as possible.
- Continue baking until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes longer.
