Creamy Corn Custard – This is How They Serve Corn in Heaven

If you checked out my top ten list of Aspen Food & Wine highlights, you read about Christopher Kostow's impressive roasted corn custard with truffles and popcorn. Ever since that Patron-soaked evening I've been craving the sweet, silky goodness of this extremely easy recipe.

Corn custard is a wonderful side dish for all kinds of meats. Since it is so soft and light, texturally, it makes a great foil for things like barbecue pork, grilled steaks, and fried fish.

One major difference between my corn custard and Christopher Kostow's (pictured here), or any other "real" chef for that matter, I don't spend 20 minutes straining it. If you really want the ultimate creamy corn custard experience, you need put the mixture through a fine mesh sieve several times to remove all the fibrous corn kernel skins (is there a word for that?).

Since Thomas Keller wasn't coming over for dinner, I used the puree as is, and it was fantastic. If you do strain out the corn solids, you get something closer to a flan, but since you will lose a good deal of volume, you won't need as much egg to bind.

I guess I'll just have to make that version sometime, so I can give you’re the exact measurements. In the meantime, give this method a try. By the way, this is just part one. I love to use this corn custard, along with some spicy shrimp, to make a beautiful, and very summery first course. So stay tuned, and enjoy!



Ingredients for six (6-oz ramekins):
2 cups corn
1 1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
1 1/4 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne
3 egg yolks
2 eggs
butter