Corn Pudding

My charming sister Ruth, enjoying a slab of corn pudding. But hang on a moment; is that a surreptitious 2 finger salute she is proffering. Shame on you Ruthie.

I am grateful to Clark Adams, a true epicure, for the recipe.  Although I suspect that he might be slightly aghast at the lack of precision in my translation of the recipe into English. This is delicious.

Corn Pudding Ingredients for 6-8
500ml Single Cream
3 or 4 Eggs depending on size
3 Corn cobs (or 500g kernels)
3 – 6 Spring Onions
3 – 6 Rashers of Streaky bacon
30g Polenta
100g Grated Gruyere
Chilli or Cayenne pepper to taste
Salt and Pepper, grated nutmeg

Method

Beat the eggs and cream together

Shuck the corn if using corn on the cob and add to the cream. Use a hand blender to cream some of the corn but don’t overdo it, leave a lot of the kernels whole.

Finely chop the onion, bacon and chilli and sweat in a little oil, then add to the cream mixture.

Add the polenta and gruyere then season.

Grease a baking dish with butter and coat with polenta, shaking out any excess.

Bake in a moderate oven (170º) for about 50 minutes until the custard is set and the top is turning golden.

Like many egg custard type dishes, this is better served warm rather than red hot from the oven.

Advertising Feature

Ms Betty Stewart can be seen here, modelling a bottle of Murray McDavid's Springbank 2000. In a coals to Newcastle scenario we took this bottle of whisky from the English midlands to the highlands of Scotland. Murray McDavid is a company operating from the Bruichladdich distillery on Islay. As well as being responsible for the eponymous single malts they also specialise in maturing and bottling whisky from other producers. Despite its youth, a mere 9 year old, the Springbank 2000 proved to be an exceptional malt. The rather florid description on the label proving to be surprisingly accurate. Much credit, no doubt, goes to the maturation in used Chateau d'Yqem wine casks.

Tomatoes - Heading for the freezer

This pan of tomatoes will reduce down to about a half a kilo and then be frozen in 2 x 250g blocks. A little salt, sugar and olive oil are the only additions. These are great whenever a recipe calls for cooked tomatoes. We have some 30 blocks in the freezer which will keep us going until next summer.

Ham update

The pork leg has now been salting for over 2 weeks. I have used 660g of salt, that is to say 10% of original weight. Most of the salt has been absorbed or thrown away in the liquid that has been released. The skin is pale where it has been lying on its side, but has got a better colour on the edges which have been drying out.

I have coated the cut side with black pepper. I've not tried this before but I am hoping for an improvement in flavour and appearance. Touch wood, it has never been a problem but I expect the pepper will also deter any insects that might be tempted to nibble.