Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Somebody Make Me: Corn and Cheddar Pudding

You know when you go to some Mexican restaurants and they serve a little scoop of that sweet corn stuff? Well, I think that stuff is AWESOME and I believe that this receipt is that plus cheese on top which equals yum. Yum squared. Halle and I were browsing through recipes and decided that someone should really make this for us. We also decided that that someone should be Halle's boyfriend. (Seriously, Shawn. We're not joking.)

We found this receipt on the Budget Bytes blog.



This recipe is a little indulgent with the cream, cheese, and eggs... but every now and then I think you're allowed. It's all about moderation, right? Right.

Corn pudding is another one of those recipes that can go so many different ways. Originally, I wanted to use poblano peppers (my fav) but my local grocery was out. So, instead, I decided to go the honey and cayenne route. It's a little sweet, a little spicy, very rich, and definitely delicious. If you're not all about the spicy stuff, leave out the cayenne and you'll still have a nice contrast between the sweet honey and salty cheddar. You can also try dicing up some regular green and red bell peppers for extra color. There are many possibilities!

Total Recipe cost: $3.57
Servings Per Recipe: 8
Cost per serving: $0.45
Prep time: 10 min. Cook time: 1 hr. Total: 1 hr. 10 min.

INGREDIENTS COST
3 cups frozen corn $0.89
1.5 cups milk $0.56
1/2 cup half & half $0.36
2 large eggs $0.32
1/4 cup cornmeal $0.06
2 Tbsp honey $0.30
1/2 tsp cayenne (optional) $0.03
1 tsp salt $0.05
4 oz. cheddar, shredded $1.00
TOTAL
$3.57

STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Allow the corn to thaw (this is very important). Place the milk and half of the corn into a blender or food processor and puree.

STEP 2: In a large bowl, whisk together the corn/milk mixture, half & half, cornmeal, honey, cayenne, salt, and the rest of the corn kernels. Make sure to whisk really well so that the egg is fully incorporated or else you'll end up with chunks of baked egg in your pudding. If your corn is still frozen, the honey will not dissolve so make sure the corn is no longer cold.

STEP 3: Shred 4 ounces of cheddar cheese. Stir half of it into the corn pudding mixture. Coat a 8x8 (or similar size) baking dish with non-stick spray and pour in the pudding. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.

STEP 4: Bake in the preheated oven for about one hour or until the center of the pudding shakes like a bowl full of jelly. Check the pudding at about 50 minutes by shaking the dish slightly. If the center wiggles like a liquid, let it cook just a little bit longer.

STEP 5: Allow the pudding to rest for about five minutes after baking. Serve warm!


Step By Step Photos



Allow the corn to completely thaw. Puree half of the corn with the milk. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Whisk together all of the ingredients except the cheddar. It is probably easiest to whisk together the pureed mixture, eggs, cornmeal, honey, cayenne, and salt first, and then add the whole corn last.


Make sure to whisk well so that the egg is well incorporated or else you'll have pockets of baked egg in the final product.


Shred 4 ounces of cheese (half of a regular sized block). Stir half of that into the corn pudding mixture.

Pour the batter into a baking dish coated with nonstick spray and sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top.


Bake in the preheated 350 degree oven for about an hour or until the center of the pudding barely wiggles when you shake the dish. If it wiggles and waves like a thick liquid, let it bake longer. I usually check the it at 50 minutes just to be sure. Every oven is different!


Let the pudding rest for about 5 minutes before serving.


It's good. It's REAL good.

OM NOM NOM NOM! (Shawn, we expect this by the end of next week.)


post by Amanda
content courtesy of Budget Bytes

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