SEVEN OR LESS
Old-fashioned dish brings on nostalgia

Gannett News Service

Corn puddings vary from soufflé-like, in which egg yolks and whites are beaten separately, to a sturdier custard of milk, eggs, seasoning and corn.

There is a more reliable mixture that many people remember: a corn pudding that needed to be stirred every so often while it baked.

Sturdiest of all, the stirred custard doesn't curdle. Starch — in some cases, added cornmeal and flour — stabilizes the eggs.

But starch also sinks to the bottom of the dish, which is why this type of corn pudding should be stirred throughout its cooking. Stirring redistributes the starch throughout the mix, so it doesn't form a doughy layer at the bottom but is distributed throughout as a more gentle thickener.

For this type of pudding, the size of the dish affects how long the dish cooks, and thus how many times and how often it should be stirred.

A large dish of pudding, like the recipe that follows, which cooks 40 minutes, should be stirred at least three times. The third time, it will seem a little lumpy. Just use the back of your spoon or fork to press out some of those lumps — don't be too obsessive — and mix the more liquidy custard into the firmer lumps.

Cooking it 10 minutes after the last stir should be ample time to let it brown a little on top.

This pudding also can be baked in custard cups. Cook 20 minutes, stirring every 6 minutes or so, then finish cooking for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the cup, and turn the puddings upside down on serving plates.

Corn Pudding

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch of cayenne pepper
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 pound fresh, frozen or canned (and drained) corn
• 3 eggs
• 3 cups milk

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a two-quart casserole. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Mix in butter and corn. Beat eggs well. Beat milk into eggs, and pour into corn mixture. Pour into casserole and bake 40 minutes, stirring three times in the first 30 minutes. The flour and cornmeal sink to the bottom as the pudding cooks, which is why you stir. The last time you stir, the mixture will seem very thick on the bottom and like thin custard on the top. Stir and break up the lumps, then cook for the last 10 minutes. Pudding should be soft but set in center and be speckled brown on top.

Serving suggestion: Serve with baked pork tenderloin and spinach sautéed with fresh garlic.

Serves six.

Nutritional information per serving with whole milk: 230 calories, 12 grams fat, 9 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber.

Nutritional information per serving with 2 percent milk: 216 calories, 11 grams fat, 9 grams protein, 22 grams carbohydrate, 1 gram fiber.

(The Seven or Less format assumes that staples such as oil, cooking spray, sugar, salt and pepper are on hand.)