Dish :: Southern Comfort

A few weeks ago, the husband and I made the road trip from the suburbs of Detroit down to Knoxville, Tennessee, for his brother’s wedding.  The nine-hour drive down was nice–except for some random construction traffic in Ohio, and a few Apocalyptic-looking thunderstorms complete with torrential downpours while driving through the Smokies–but hey, no road trip is complete without a little white-knuckle driving, right?

The wedding was lovely, the people were kind, and our hotel accommodations were pleasant enough, but what I really took away from the trip was the food.  I wish we had been able to stay long enough to really experience some of the true southern cooking staples, but the meals we did have time to savor really stuck with me.

I may be a Midwestern girl at heart, but the South serves the food that soothes my soul.  (Say that five times fast…)

I ate prime rib twice in a weekend.  Had more onion rings and baked beans than a Fourth of July picnic.  Finally figured out that I do like sweet tea.  Destroyed some baked mac and cheese.  Tried the grits; will have to give them another chance someday.  Didn’t get to experience nearly enough barbecue for my taste.  And discovered a new dish that I’m adopting into my own arsenal:  Corn Pudding.

I didn’t even know what Corn Pudding was until it was plopped on my plate.  It has the consistency of a custard–eggy, soft and fluffy, but with a little crunch from the kernels of sweet corn and hint of corn meal mixed in.  It’s sweet and salty, soothing and crunchy, side dish and dessert.  Total Southern Comfort on a plate.

Needless to say, I had seconds.

I came home in search of a recipe that would do my Tennessee Corn Pudding experience justice, and I think I figured out one that works.  I made a few small tweaks to a couple of recipes I found online to get the consistency I liked.  I also added bacon, because–well, everything is better with bacon.  Everything.

If you’re in need of a warm, comforting dish to serve along with barbecue, steaks, salmon, or a big salad, give this one a shot.  You won’t be disappointed.

Country Corn Pudding

• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons cornbread mix (I used Jiffy)
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 2 (14.75 ounce) cans cream-style corn
• 2 tablespoons crumbled bacon (optional)

Preheat your oven to 400°.  Grease a round, flat-bottomed 2 quart casserole dish.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Add the melted butter, sugar, salt, and milk. Whisk in the cornstarch and cornbread mix. Stir in the corn and creamed corn. Blend well with hand mixer.  Stir in the bacon.  Pour the mixture into your prepared casserole dish.

Bake for 1 hour.

The pudding will have a little “jiggle” to it when you take it out of the oven.  Run a dry knife into the center of the dish, and if it comes out clean, the pudding is ready.  If it comes out too wet-looking, give it another 5 minutes or so in the oven.

Enjoy!