Who Knew?

A couple of weeks ago I was at the Shadyside Market where the woman ahead of me in line purchased something I had never heard of before.  It was Cope's Toasted Corn.  Sold in a sort of old fashioned looking package, it looked like something I should at least have some knowledge of.  Not to be outdone by the woman in line, I snagged myself a couple of bags and figured that I would come up with something to do with it later.

Into the pantry the toasted corn went and there it stayed.  That is, until Friday when I was digging around looking for something else.  I took it as a sign when the corn kept falling off the shelf and landing at my feet.  It was definitely time to try out this mystery ingredient.

It turns out that I may have been one of only a few people in the universe who had never heard of, let along cooked something with, Cope's Toasted Corn.  The recipes went on for pages.  Apparently toasted corn is perfect for so many things, including creamed corn, corn cakes, and corn pudding.

I love corn pudding, at least I did the last time I had it which had to have been 15 years ago at Capon Springs in West Virginia.  Capon Springs is a story for another day, but I recall loving the corn pudding they served with "steak on the hill", another story for another day.

Feeling a bit nostalgic for Capon Springs' corn pudding, and wanting not to be left out of the toasted corn revolution, I settled on a recipe for corn pudding from Gourmet Magazine.  I figured that the Gourmet  recipe would be the gold standard of all corn pudding recipes.

I have to tell you, it was really good.  The corn  sunk to the bottom, as the recipe said it would, and provided a nice base for the custardy top.  The recipe didn't call for nutmeg, but I think just a pinch might have been a nice addition and I'm going to try that the next time I make corn pudding.

I still have one bag of toasted corn lurking in the pantry.  You just never know what I'll come up with.


Recipe:  Toasted Sweet Corn Pudding 
Gourmet, November 2009

In this golden casserole (which you'll find on many Pennsylvania Dutch tables), a buttermilk custard rises to the top while the chewy, toasty corn sinks to the bottom, resulting in a two-layered pudding. The packaged sweet corn—frequently called by its most common brand name, Cope's corn—is slowly dried so that its natural sugars caramelize, a centuries-old Native American preservation method. Recipes usually call for grinding the corn, but the whole kernels impart a coarser texture that we love.
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Active Time: 10 min
Total Time: 1 1/2 hr

1 (7 1/2-ounces) package Cope's corn (toasted dried sweet corn)
4 cups whole milk
1 cup well-shaken buttermilk (not powdered)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in upper third. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish.
Whisk together all ingredients with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
Transfer to baking dish. Bake until pudding is set, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool 10 minutes before serving.


Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/printerfriendly/Toasted-Sweet-Corn-Pudding-356014#ixzz1g337hBdc