Monday, December 23, 2013

Creamy and Crunchy Corn Casserole

Creamy and Crunchy Corn Casserole

Over the weekend I had a huge craving for one of Brian's delicious burgers.  He seasons them with Worcestershire sauce and garlic, then gets the cast iron pan screaming hot for a great sear, and he serves them with a mound of amazingly good caramelized onions on toasted ciabatta rolls.  I had to have one!  So, while he was out shopping for the ingredients, I got to work on the side dishes.

Creamy and Crunchy Corn Casserole
I made a big bowl of our broccoli salad but I wanted something else alongside.  Not potatoes or rice, since we'd be eating the rolls but maybe another veggie.  We live on sweet, fresh, Long Island corn in the summer but, the rest of the year, I keep bags of frozen kernels and cans of unsweetened corn around.  So I decided a creamy, cheesy corn casserole with a crunchy topping was the perfect side dish for the burgers.  The whole dinner was so good, in fact, that we made it again the next night.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons cornmeal
1 1/2 Cups milk
1 Egg
1 Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 Cups corn kernels (canned or frozen both fine)
2 Tablespoons chopped chives or parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 Cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon canola oil

Creamy and Crunchy Corn Casserole
Melt the butter in a large pan and add the garlic.  Saute on low heat for a couple of minutes, just until the garlic softens.  Whisk in the flour and cornmeal and slowly add in the milk.  Continue whisking until all the flour and cornmeal has dissolved and the mixture begins to thicken.  Season to taste.

Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk in a couple of tablespoons of the milk mixture to raise the temperature of the egg.  This will help prevent the egg from scrambling when it goes into the hot sauce.  Add the egg into the pan along with the cheese, corn kernels and herbs.  Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and olive oil.  Sprinkle evenly on top of the corn mixture and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the casserole is set and the breadcrumbs are a nice golden brown.  Serve hot.  Makes approximately 4 servings.

Creamy and Crunchy Corn Casserole
My photography assistant.

13 comments:

  1. Awesome photobomb! Yummy looking recipe too.

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  2. Your little photo bomber just cracks me up. My hounds would be face down in the casserole and not in the camera.

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  3. Like Renee, Jack would be in the dish trying to eat it all! This looks great and just gave me an idea for dinner side tonight. Thanks!

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  4. what a perfect photo bomb! Merry Merry Christmas!

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  5. Saving this for my picky family because I know all three would at least eat corn :)

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  6. Great-looking casserole, Anita! It looks perfectly breaded... Happy holidays!

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  7. Love the photo bomb but I am pinning the corn casserole, Anita. Looks delicious!

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  8. I want you to know that this dish graced the Dec. 26 dinner table (post-Christmas dinner of spiral-cut ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans from Dad's garden, sauteed spinach) and was a favorite of young and old. I'm thinking about warming some up for breakfast as we speak! Thank you!

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    1. Thank you for telling me that, Adam. It makes me so happy when people enjoy my recipes! Happy holidays to you and your family!

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  9. We loved this so much, after making a double batch, I made a great wrap with the leftovers! It's all snug in the freezer waiting for my lunches over the next frew weeks..........great stuff Anita! P.S. - I made a post with a link back to you!

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  10. Oh, man, this is the corn casserole I've been waiting for!

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  11. I love your recipe and your presentation!:) i'll try your recipe for corn casserole

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  12. ohmygawwwd those burgers sound awesome-you're a lucky lady! and this corn casserole looks like the PERFECT accompaniment!

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