Spoonbread
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 3 Tbs. butter
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup yellow or white cornmeal
- 1 ear very fresh corn
- 2 oz. tasso, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup finely diced red bell pepper
- 3 eggs, separated
Instructions
- 1
Combine the half-and-half, butter, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle in the cornmeal and cook, stirring, until the mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat.
- 2
Cut the corn off the cob. Add the corn, tasso, and bell peppers and stir to mix. Let the mixture cool for about ten minutes.
- 3
Beat the egg yolks and stir them in until they disappear. With a whisk or electric mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. With a rubber spatula, fold the beaten egg whites into the mixture.
- 4
With the spatula, spoon about 3/4 cup of the mixture into small baking dishes. (You could also bake the entire batch in one dish, as long as the mixture is no more than an inch and a half deep.) Smooth the top of the mixture and put the baking dishes into the 300-degree oven.
- 5
Bake the spoonbread at 300 degrees for about 40 minutes. It should not get crusty except around the edges. The center should be set and firm, but not crumbly.