Corn Parfait...or Corn Pudding.

Corn Parfait...Similar to a Corn Pudding. Sometimes I like to get out of my comfort zone and try something new. Such was the case when I made this recipe... a different side dish and yet really easy to do! You can make this for Thanksgiving, Christmas or any time of the year when you crave some real comfort food. This past summer, my husband and I went corn picking at a local farm. We loved going through the field and picking the corn. Nothing beats fresh picked corn. The taste is amazing...so sweet and creamy you could practically eat it fresh off the cob . One is never enough. My husband and I each filled our bucket...we had plenty...enough to last us for quite some time. Back home, we ended up eating a few... but we quickly realized that you can only eat so much! Even though we really like corn, we had way too much! So I decided to freeze the rest and use it throughout the winter. I have been thinking of trying new recipes with all of the corn I have sitting in the freezer. So I ventured to try this recipe...and my husband really liked it! He actually requested it for Thanksgiving dinner. It goes rather well with a meat course. The dish is creamy, and sort of like a savory pudding...actually it is:). I decided to add some dried onion flakes to the mixture , just to bring more flavor to the dish. But there are lots of other options... you could add some herbs, cheese, green chile, various spices, ...you could also add some chopped ham, bacon bits. I am sure you can be a bit creative with this recipe. If you like yours on the sweeter side, you can add some sugar. This corn parfait will puff up nicely as it bakes and gets a nice golden color. It will however, lose some of the height as it cools down. That is expected. You can also probably get away with using milk instead of the half and half. That's only if you want to cut down on some of the calories:). Give this recipe a try...you just might like it.

You will need: adapted from Jacques Pepin with a small change
1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened
4 ears corn, husked*
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups half and half
1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese

2 TBS dried onion flakes( you could probably use fresh...)

*4 ears of corn=4 cups of corn (in case you would like to use the frozen corn option)

* I made another batch with bits of pickled jalapeno in the batter...it was even better:)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Get your ingredients ready.

Coat a 4 or 5 cup gratin dish with the butter or you can use small individual ramekins. Cut the kernels off the ears of corn (or you can just use frozen corn that has been defrosted).

Place the corn in the bowl of a food processor (or blender...I used my VitaMix) with the flour, eggs, dried onion, salt, and pepper.

Process until well pureed.

Add the half and half, and process for another 5 to 10 seconds.

Pour into the buttered dish, and sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top.

(using a larger gratin dish)

(using individual ramekins)

Bake for about 25 minutes or until nicely puffed and golden brown.

If you are using small ramekins the baking time might be shorter. The corn parfait will sink a bit as it sits.

It is best eaten warm from the oven.

You can reheat it, if you like.