Amy Wertheim, co-owner of RGW Candy Company, submitted this dish for
the Heirloom Recipe Contest at the 2010 Illinois State Fair, where it
won third prize. Her Aunt Lynd’s corn pudding became “infamous” in the
family because whenever Aunt Lynd made it for Thanksgiving, she’d
double or triple the recipe – but refused to bake it for longer that
the 30 minutes needed for a single recipe. Not only was it runny and
inedible, but often it had been sitting for several hours, and the
family was afraid to eat it, fearing it had spoiled.
Baked
until properly done, however, the pudding is delicious. I ate it
recently at a Greater Midwest Foodways Symposium lunch featuring dishes
from the contest; it was my hands-down favorite. Wertheim’s family
traditionally serves this at Thanksgiving as a side dish, but it would
be good anytime, especially when fresh corn is in season. It would make
a splendid vegetarian entrée.
Wertheim says:
“No one
knows how long the corn pudding recipe has been around. It’s one of the
staples of our family Thanksgiving. In fact, our family prides itself
on having the same foods that my grandma’s mother used to make … and
although my mom [who now makes it at Thanksgiving] has taken to
tweaking the recipe to make it something really special (and edible),
the core recipe has stayed the same. She still uses cream from our
neighbor’s dairy farm, the corn in the sweet corn from her garden that
she cans every summer and the eggs are from the hatchery in the next
town over. It’s truly a homegrown, Midwest treat that our family looks
forward to every year at Thanksgiving!”
- Kernels from 2 ears of sweet corn, approximately 11/2c. (or 1 can of corn, drained)
- 2 T flour
- 2 T. sugar, optional
- 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 T. melted butter
- 2 beaten eggs
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In
a buttered 9×9-inch pan, mix ingredients in order listed. Bake until
golden browned and thickened for approx. 30 minutes. Remove and allow
to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Serves 6 – 8
For larger gatherings, just double or triple as needed; cook time also is approximately doubled.
This article appears in Jun 9-15, 2011.
