My husband (and partner in culinary crime-writing) finds it hard to stop eating this tasy casserole, and so do I. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do...
🌽 A Note from Cleo
Our readers may remember this recipe from our 15th Coffeehouse Mystery Dead to the Last Drop. Because we set the story in our nation's capital, we featured dishes with American roots, and this light and airy casserole has its roots in spoon bread, a dish with origins that can be traced back to a Native American cornmeal porridge called suppawn. English colonists added eggs and milk to enrich the dish, and we took it from there, adding sweet corn and cheddar to jazz up the flavor.
Our readers may remember this recipe from our 15th Coffeehouse Mystery Dead to the Last Drop. Because we set the story in our nation's capital, we featured dishes with American roots, and this light and airy casserole has its roots in spoon bread, a dish with origins that can be traced back to a Native American cornmeal porridge called suppawn. English colonists added eggs and milk to enrich the dish, and we took it from there, adding sweet corn and cheddar to jazz up the flavor.
This recipe is perfect for a 1-1/2 quart casserole dish, but you can also use an 8-inch square pan. Just be sure your pan is well greased with butter or cooking spray to prevent sticking.
For a larger batch, double the amount of ingredients and use a 2-1/2 quart casserole dish or a 9 x 9 x 2-inch pan. Cooking time may be a bit longer for a larger casserole, check for doneness as indicated in the recipe, and eat with comfort food joy! ~ Cleo
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🌽 Cleo Coyle's
Sweet Corn & Cheddar
Comfort Food Casserole
Ingredients:
2 cups sweet corn kernels (fresh or frozen, no need to thaw)
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon white, granulated sugar
1 teaspoon regular table salt or finely ground sea salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper (white will look better, but you may substitute ground black pepper)
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1-1/2 cups milk whole or low fat (1% or 2%, not skim)
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup cornmeal (yellow or white)
2 eggs
2 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese, yellow or white (*See my end tip on reheating)
2 teaspoons baking powder
(Optional flavor additions: 1/4 cup crumbled bacon; ¼ cup chopped roasted red and/or green peppers; 1/4 cup finely chopped, lightly grilled sweet onions. See note** below on how to add these to the recipe.)
DIRECTIONS:
First preheat your oven to 350° F. Into a medium size saucepan, place the corn kernels (still frozen is fine) and butter, warm over medium heat, stirring while butter melts. Add the sugar, salt, white pepper, cayenne pepper and stir to blend the flavors. Add the milk, water, and 3/4 cup of cornmeal. Cook and stir this mixture over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until mixture thickens and resembles porridge.
**Note: If you’d like to add more vegetable flavors, such as chopped sweet onions and/or peppers, begin by sautéing them in the saucepan. Once they’ve cooked up, use the same pan to begin building the recipe, adding the corn, butter, milk, and so on. Crumbled, cooked bacon can be added with the corn.
IMPORTANT: Remove from heat and allow the mixture to cool off for at least ten minutes before whisking in the eggs, cheese, and baking powder. Transfer immediately to a well-greased 1-1/2 quart casserole dish. An 8x8 baking pan will work, as well, but be sure to grease it.
Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes (depending on oven). When spoonbread is set on top (no longer liquid and jiggling) and slightly browned, it’s finished cooking.
Spoon portions onto plates right from
the baking dish and enjoy!
*TIP: When reheating leftovers, sprinkle on some extra shredded cheddar cheese over the top. It's delicious...
