Sunday Brunch: Southern Corn and Bacon Soufflé
Writers James Villas and Alexandra Grablewski have provided the friends of bacon lovers everywhere with a perfect holiday gift opportunity, The Bacon Cookbook: More than 150 Recipes from Around the World for Everyone's Favorite Food. We'll be featuring recipes from it all this week in Cook the Book, but I figured I'd give you a preview today with this yummy-sounding Southern Corn and Bacon Souffle. Villas and Grablewski acknowledge in their headnote that this recipe is more pudding than souffle, but I don't think it really matters what they call it. I call it delicious.
Ingredients
yield: 4 servings
- 1/2 pound sliced hickory-smoked bacon
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
- 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups whole corn kernels, fresh or frozen and thawed
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk, heated
- 6 large eggs
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Cayenne pepper to taste
Procedures
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1
In a large skillet, fry the bacon over moderate heat till crisp on paper towels, and crumble. Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet.
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2
Grease the bottom and sides of a 1 1/2-quart souflé or baking dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter, coat the surfaces with half the grated cheese, and set aside.
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3
Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet and melt over moderate heat. Add the onion and corn, stir for 3 minutes, and set aside.
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4
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
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5
In a saucepan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of the butter over low heat, add the flour, and whisk till golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from the heat, add the milk, and whisk till thickened and smooth. Cool the mixture slightly, then whisk in the eggs one at a time till well blended. Add the corn mixture, bacon, salt and pepper, and cayenne and blend thoroughly. Scrape the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, and bake till golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Serve hot.
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