Ah, mid-summer, and the best of the season’s corn crop is
coming in. No better time than now to
think about corn pudding. Despite the heat and humidity, it’s worth it to turn on that hot oven for
the end result.
A recreated Powhatan Indian cornfield near Jamestown, Virginia
Completely native to America, corn was one of the first
crops encountered by 17th century Virginians in the fields of our Powhatan
ancestors along the James River. Likely
some form of corn pudding was on the menu at Berkeley Plantation, site of the
1st “Thanksgiving” in America (1619), & the dish as my mother &
grandmother prepared it is much the same as that made for our kinsman Thomas
Jefferson at Monticello in Virginia.
The historic cornfield in which the Battle of Perryville, Kentucky was fought 8th October 1862, then and today, where the battlefield lies basically pristine & undeveloped. 150 years ago, corn was as important a staple in the Southern diet as it remains now.
Don’t assume that corn pudding is the same, historically, as
“Indian” pudding. While there may be
similarities, corn pudding does not utilize corn meal, but rather whole tender
corn kernels in a fluffy egg custard.
Its origins seem based on the traditional English custard. The basic recipe for corn pudding is found in
Eliza Leslies 1837 cookbook Directions for Cookery, but it was an old standard
even by then, and favored not just in the South, but the Mid-Atlantic and New
England regions as well. She called it
“Green Corn Pudding”, referencing the use of tender fresh corn, not dried
mature grains intended for meal.
“Take twelve ears of
green corn, as it is called, (that is, Indian corn when full grown, but before
it begins to harden and turn yellow,) and grate it. Have ready a quart of rich
milk, and stir into it by degrees a quarter of a pound of fresh butter, and a
quarter of a pound of sugar. Beat four eggs till quite light; and then stir
them into the milk, &c. alternately with the grated corn, a little of each
at a time. Put the mixture into a large buttered dish, and bake it four hours.
It may be eaten either warm or cold, for sauce, beat together butter and white
sugar in equal proportions, mixed with grated nutmeg.
To make this
pudding,—you may, if more convenient, boil the corn and cut it from the cob;
but let it get quite cold before you stir it into the milk. If the corn has
been previously boiled, the pudding will require but two hours to bake.”
Clearly the addition of a sweet nutmeg-based “sauce” was a
yankee addition, something never encountered in the South (thank
goodness). I actually worked with a
professional male chef from Pittsburgh who included nutmeg in his rendition of
corn pudding. Lord love him, he’s a fine
man and talented in the culinary arts, but I couldn’t choke down that nutmeg in
my corn, even if Cousin Thomas Jefferson grew it. I don't think he ever put nutmeg in his corn pudding, and my grandmother "Miss Annie" sure didn't, so let's not venture there, ok?
The corn pudding we make and serve in Kentucky is pretty
much the mirror image of that found in Virginia, our mother Commonwealth. It’s been a staple at the beloved Beaumont
Inn of Harrodsburg for over a century.
Their simple, classic version follows:
Beaumont Inn’s Famous Corn
Pudding
2 cups white whole kernel corn, or fresh corn
cut off the cob
4 eggs
8 level tablespoons
flour
1 quart of milk
4 rounded teaspoons
sugar
4 tablespoons butter,
melted
1 teaspoon salt
Stir into the corn,
the flour, salt, sugar, and butter. Beat the eggs well; put them into the milk,
then stir into the corn and put into a pan or Pyrex dish. Bake in oven at 450
degrees for about 40-45 minutes.
Stir vigorously with
long prong fork three times, approximately 10 minutes apart while baking,
disturbing the top as little as possible.
I can attest to the succulence of their pudding. The Dedman family staff has pretty much
perfected the process, and the hot steamy corn pudding they serve is
consistently perfect, never dry, never “flat”, never too dense. Our Augusta, now age 9, has already tried her
hand at preparing this beloved family recipe that has changed little in 300
years. Our own version varies little
from that of the Beaumont Inn, but I provide it as reference. I have cut the butter a tad!
INGREDIENTS
2 cups of corn (fresh is wonderful, frozen is “ok”, but
canned works rather well. I often use
whole kernel and cream style together if using canned corn.
3 large eggs, plus the whites of two additional eggs
(Augusta & Avery gather fresh brown ones here at home from “Black Belle”,
“Beauty” and “Tiana” in our backyard coop, but white “store bought” eggs work
fairly well in a pinch should you not have a chicken yard of your own!!
3 tablespoons of sugar (2 works, but I like it a bit
sweeter.)
1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
3-4 tablespoons of flour
2 tablespoons of melted butter
1 pat of cold butter to grease pan
1 cup of whole milk (cream or “half and half” makes this
much richer!)
SERVES: 6 to 8 portions
PREPARATION
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a baking dish generously
with extra butter. Combine flour, salt,
& sugar, then add beaten eggs and combine thoroughly. Add corn, using a whisk to mix now. Slowly pour in melted butter followed by milk
or cream, whisking carefully but consistently.
Pour mixture into greased pan and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, testing
with a toothpick for doneness.
Some people do stir the pudding during cooking, attempting
not to disturb the top as it sets. I find
no reason for this extra labor. Let the
entire pudding set as it cooks, examining the middle after 40 minutes or so to
see if it has set up. If it still
sloshes, keep cooking another 10 minutes and look again, testing with a
toothpick as needed. Usually you can
tell by eye when this is done. It may
fall a bit, but don’t worry, you aren’t cooking a soufflé! When using only fresh or whole kernel corn,
you may find that the kernels settle to the bottom somewhat, leaving you with
an actual fluffy pudding on the top.
This is completely acceptable.
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