Sweet Corn Pudding
Nothing says summer quite like sweet corn, and here it’s used in an unusual application: dessert! It may seem strange, but the varieties grown in this region are candy-sweet, and the kernels lend themselves to a creamy pudding perfectly. You can cook these in smaller, individual ramekins as well, covering them with foil as normal. The cooking time should be reduced by 15 minutes, as they will set quicker.
Serves 4-6
1 cup whole milk
1 cup cream
2 cups sweet corn kernels, cut from the cob 6 egg yolks
1/3 cup raw sugar
Preheat the oven to 350º. Combine the milk, cream and corn kernels in a pot over medium heat. Allow the mixture to hint at a sim- mer, but do not allow it to boil. Remove from the heat.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until frothy. Slowly add in the milk, cream and corn, beginning with a few slow drops and whisking, so as not to “shock” the eggs with heat and scramble them. Once combined, scrape the mixture back into the pot and return it to medium-low heat.
Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and pour into a 2-quart ovenproof ramekin. (If the mixture looks curdled, or the eggs have started to scramble as a result of too-high heat, simply strain it through a cheesecloth-lined sieve into the ramekin.
Cover the ramekin with aluminum foil, then place in a deep roast- ing pan and place the pan in the oven. Fill the pan with hot water, reaching halfway up the sides of the ramekin. Bake until edges of pudding are set but the middle is still quite loose and wobbly, about 60–65 minutes.
