Chile Corn Custard in Poblano Chile Cups
So excited that corn season is here again! Went to a local farm stand in the Skagit valley to get morning-picked corn. Doesn’t get any fresher than that! Sweet beyond compare to that off-season shipped-from-the-south old corn. Now, here is a corn custard recipe worthy of the title “comfort food”.
Corn on the cob can be found nearly year-round in grocers. However, it is best here in the Northwest to only buy local corn in late summer, fresh from the fields. At the same time, all sorts of chilies ripen. They are a natural together, one highlighting the other as revealed here.
ONWARD:
Caramelizing the corn accentuates the natural sweetness of the corn. This sweetness lends itself naturally to the creamy yet slightly spicy-hot cheese and chilies. The eggs are the leavening power that makes the batter rise to create a light filling for the mild poblano cups. Warning, these become quite addictive.
4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
4 large poblano peppers, halved stem to the tip end, seeded
2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
1 ½ cups corn kernels from 2 fresh corn cobs, or defrosted frozen corn kernels
2 tablespoons corn pulp scraped from the corncobs
sea salt to taste
2 small Serrano chilies, seeded, minced (1 ½ tablespoon)
½ teaspoon garlic, minced
¼ cup shallots, minced
¾ cup whole milk
½ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup fine cornmeal
1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, grated (3 ounces)
4 tablespoons softened butter
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 large eggs, reserve whites separated from yolks
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Line a baking pan with foil. Lightly oil the poblano halves with one tablespoon of oil. Place cut-side down in the baking pan. Bake until slightly softened and fragrant, about twelve minutes. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack.
3. Shuck and remove the leaves and silk from the corncobs. Slice the raw kernels from the cobs. Scrape the corn pulp left on the cobs with a spoon and reserve separately.
4. Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil, and when it begins to shimmer, add the corn kernels. Sauté until the corn kernels caramelize. Salt to taste. Set aside to cool.
5. In a saucepan over medium-high heat bring the Serrano chilies, garlic, shallots, corn pulp, milk, and salt to a boil. Immediately pour the cornmeal in a slow stream into the mixture whisking briskly until thoroughly incorporated. Lower heat and cook for one to two minutes or until thick.
6. Remove from the heat and whip in the cheese, butter, and syrup. Taste, Think, Transform with salt. Set aside to cool slightly.
7. In the meantime, whip the egg whites to a soft peak. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl and stir into the cooled cornmeal mixture. Fold the egg whites into this mixture. Incorporate one-half cup of the caramelized corn. Reserve the rest of the caramelized corn for the garnish.
8. Distribute the mixture into each poblano half (eight total).
9. Place in the oven. Bake until the tip of a knife inserted in the custard center comes out clean, and the tops are golden, about twenty to twenty-five minutes.
10. Place on plates and garnish with the remaining corn. Serve hot.
Note: May refrigerate leftovers and heat the next day in a microwave.
Chile Corn Custard in Poblano Chile Cups
ingredients:
- 4 large poblano peppers, halved stem to the tip end, seeded
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
- 1 ½ cups corn kernels from 2 fresh corn cobs, or defrosted frozen corn kernels
- 2 tablespoons corn pulp scraped from the corncobs
- sea salt to taste
- 2 small Serrano chiles, seeded, minced (1 ½ tablespoon)
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- ¼ cup shallots, minced
- ¾ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅓ cup fine cornmeal
- 1 cup Pepper Jack cheese, grated (3 ounces)
- 4 tablespoons softened butter
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 2 large eggs, reserve whites separated from yolks
instructions:
How to cook Chile Corn Custard in Poblano Chile Cups
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Line a baking pan with foil. Lightly oil the poblano halves with one tablespoon of oil. Place cut-side down in the baking pan. Bake until slightly softened and fragrant, about twelve minutes. Remove from the oven to a cooling rack.
- Shuck and remove the leaves and silk from the corncobs. Slice the raw kernels from the cobs. Scrape the corn pulp left on the cobs with a spoon and reserve separately.
- Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil, and when it begins to shimmer, add the corn kernels. Sauté until the corn kernels caramelize. Salt to taste. Set aside to cool.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat bring the Serrano chiles, garlic, shallots, corn pulp, milk, and salt to a boil. Immediately pour the cornmeal in a slow stream into the mixture whisking briskly until thoroughly incorporated. Lower heat and cook for one to two minutes or until thick.
- Remove from the heat and whip in the cheese, butter, and syrup. Taste, Think, Transform with salt. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In the meantime, whip the egg whites to a soft peak. Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl and stir into the cooled cornmeal mixture. Fold the egg whites into this mixture. Incorporate one-half cup of the caramelized corn. Reserve the rest of the caramelized corn for the garnish.
- Distribute the mixture into each poblano half (eight total).
- Place in the oven. Bake until the tip of a knife inserted in the custard center comes out clean, and the tops are golden, about twenty to twenty-five minutes.
- Place on plates and garnish with the remaining corn. Serve hot.
NOTES:
Calories
456.13Fat (grams)
32.84Sat. Fat (grams)
15.76Carbs (grams)
28.13Fiber (grams)
3.60Net carbs
24.53Sugar (grams)
8.61Protein (grams)
15.79Sodium (milligrams)
747.66Cholesterol (grams)
155.35