Silky Savory and so Yummy

Jalapeño Corn Pudding

This silky, savory corn pudding recipe is one of my favorite dishes after dinner.

If you are looking for a new Thanksgiving side dish (or something to accompany the green beans), look no further than this corn pudding. It is comforting and familiar, and even though it has a spicy, peppery kick, that didn't stop my six-year-old from devouring it last year.

Jalapeño Corn Pudding

1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 C diced yellow onions
1 1/2 C fresh kernels of corn (about 3 to 4 ears) or equivalent amount of frozen which is likely what you'll find this time of year
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 C heavy whipping cream
3 C cornbread, crumbled
8 oz Jalapeno Jack cheese, shredded and divided (1 C and 1 C) You can add more if you're like me and love melty cheesy goodness.
dash of salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 fresh jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced*
2 to 3 roasted red peppers, thinly sliced (I omit these because I like the jalapeño to be the star)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Grease and 8 inch square pan.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add onions and corn, saute until onions are translucent. Remove from heat. Stir in eggs, cream, cornbread and 1 C cheese. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour pudding into pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and top with jalapeno and red pepper slices.
Place pan in a water bath and bake 50 minutes-1 hour or until firm.

Sesame Corn Saute

Frozen whole kernel corn is a must-have in my freezer. There are so many things that you can make with it. If you're a fan of corn dishes, also see my Corn and Bacon Saute. It attracted me because it seemed like a simple recipe with familiar ingredients used in a different way. I just happened to have all of the ingredients already. We have a beautiful basil plant in our back yard. I wanted to put it to good use. Make it work for its money. Plus, corn and sesame together? I was intrigued and, at the end, very pleased.

Sesame Corn Saute

2-1/2 tsp. sesame seeds
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
6 ears fresh corn, shucked, kernals cut off the cob (about 4 cups)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp. fresh basil chiffonade (very thinly sliced)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast the sesame seeds on a baking sheet until very light tan, about 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and saute garlic for about 2 minutes. Add the corn, salt, and pepper. Cook until corn is just tender, about 8 minutes. Gently toss in the sesame seeds and basil.

First, I made a slight change in the original recipe's directions by toasting my sesame seeds in a skillet. It only took a few minutes. Then, I reused the skillet to cook the corn.

Such a pretty color. It looks and smells like a Japanese restaurant in here.

Garlic: If one clove is good, two cloves are better.

I cooked the garlic for a few minutes in the olive oil over medium heat before adding four cups of corn. Again, I deviated from the original recipe by using frozen corn. I seasoned with salt and pepper.

The basil in our garden is so pretty right now. And, the afternoon rain shower we just received made the basil even happier.

I used about this many leaves of basil.

I cut the basil into really thin strips. I waited to do this at the last minute so the leaves wouldn't turn dark.

When the corn is completely cooked, sprinkle in the sesame seeds.

And, stir in the basil.

A simple and savory side and the perfect way to make the most of the fresh basil growing in your garden.

Enjoy!!

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Dive into side Corn(er)!

This corn side dish  called “Cheesy Creamed Corn with Cilantro” but I omitted the cilantro, because Cilantro seems to be one of those love-it-or-hate-it herbs, doesn’t it? 

While I personally like cilantro just fine, I have to say this recipe was really good even without it. The sweet corn pairs very nicely with the bright, tangy cheese, and the scallions round out the flavor and give it some much-needed color. This is a perfect side dish to pair with a spicier main  and to use up all that wonderful corn that’s overflowing this time of year! And pair it with a less-expensive cheese!

I love the look of scallions!

What creamed corn recipe would be complete without starting with some melted butter? I happened to have found fancy butter on sale, so I used “the good stuff” for this recipe. Isn’t it amazing what a difference in taste there can be in basic ingredients like butter and cream? This Plugra butter is so good, I eat a bit of it straight from the wrapper every time I cook with it. I just can’t help myself!

The scallions are cooked in the butter first.

The last few steps are as easy as sauteing the corn, pureeing some of it and adding it back into the rest, and topping with cheese to serve.

I liked that this creamed corn wasn’t too creamy and retained that fresh SUMMER flavor that fresh corn has. To me, “creamed corn” conjures up cold-weather meals, not summer, so I was happy to see that this one was more bright and flavorful than comforting. Although if you like fresh corn half as much as I do, this will certainly provide plenty of comfort, too!

Cheesy Creamed Corn

This recipe, I think it could actually feed more than 8 people. 12 ears of corn is a lot of corn for 8 people! We had 7 and only ate about half the batch, but I did cook too many side dishes so I think everyone ate a bit less than a full person’s serving.

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups chopped scallions
• 12 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tsp cornstarch
• 2 large garlic cloves
• 6 oz queso fresco (or substitute mild feta), crumbled

In deep large heavy skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat until foam subsides, then cook scallions until softened, about 5 minutes. Add corn and 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.

In a small bowl, whisk together cream and cornstarch until thoroughly combined. Add mixture to corn and simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Transfer about 1 1/2 cups corn mixture to a bowl and add garlic. Blend with immersion blender until smooth (be careful, it’ll be hot!). If you don’t have an immersion blender, you can use a regular blender or a food processor.

Return blended corn mixture to skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until just heated through and combined with whole corn mixture. Just before serving, sprinkle cheese on top.

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