What I liked
Grating the corn, in this corn pudding recipe, macerated the corn kernels. This opened up the flavor tremendously and released the sweetness throughout the pudding. However, grating all the corn can cause a mushy texture. I advise only grating 2 ears then cutting the rest off with a knife. This is an amazingly tasty way to use those random ears of sweet corn that tend to hang around the house during the summer. This corn pudding recipe has a freshness to the taste that you don’t get from a recipe using canned corn. It is the perfect compliment to a bbq feast, or a fantastic, and quick, side for a weekday meal.
Equipment Worth Using
Who says casseroles are dead? In Mrs. Fisher’s recipe she instructs us to send the corn pudding to the table in the dish it was baked in. It becomes an elegant centerpiece of sorts. This is an amazing casserole dish that will look good on any table. Another key element to this dish is grating the corn. You aren’t going to have massive chunks of corn here. However, grating the corn releases more sweetness and flavor that permeates the dish. You can get your casserole dish and grater here and here.
Original Vintage Corn Pudding Recipe
Take one dozen ears of corn and grate from the cob. Beat four eggs light and add a pint of sweet milk and a tablespoonful of butter, salting and peppering to taste. Beat lightly, place in a deep dish and bake in a hot oven. Ten minutes will bake it. Grease the dish with butter before putting pudding into it, and send to table in the dish it is baked in.
Updated Method
Ingredients:
6 ears of corn
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
1/2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to taste.
Great 2 of the 6 ears. Slice the remaining kernels off with a knife. Beat the eggs in a separate bowl until frothy. Combine all ingredients in casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
What I Learned
Mrs. Fisher’s recipe instructed me to grate the corn. Upon further reflection, I feel this made the pudding excessively watery, with a mushy mouth feel. It did provide an amazing flavor, but I think if I grated 2 ears, and then just cut the other kernels off, I’d get the same flavor. It is definitely something I’d try in future recipes.
The other change I’d make is to bake this at 350 for 45 minutes. Her original recipe said to bake in a hot oven. A hot oven translates to 375-400 degrees. This is too hot for custard, and I feel it contributed to mine breaking. She also prescribes a 10 minute baking time, which was far too short. After 10 minutes, at 400 degrees, my pudding was like soup. There are also other recipes online that add some flour or corn starch as a thickening agent. In my updated method I added cornstarch to get that thickening that I felt my pudding needed.
Recipe Reference
What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking, 1881