I know that Thanksgiving recipes are a bit late now since most of you have already done your holiday meal planning, but this savory bread pudding with corn is the perfect dish for your Thanksgiving table. A vegetarian option that is absolutely bursting with traditional Thanksgiving flavors, this has taken the place of more traditional stuffing recipes in our household. Yes, this recipe uses a can of creamed corn, which sounds awful on the surface because, “Yuck! Creamed corn…?!” (I am typically not a fan of creamed corn…) But you will be amazed at how savory and versatile this side dish can be. My favorite part is what you can do with the leftovers the following day, so stay tuned tomorrow for a post on some of my favorite ways to use up your Turkey Day leftovers!
Savory Bread Pudding with Corn
Adapted from Alton Brown’s Sweet Corn Bread Pudding
Ingredients:
½ onion
1 large clove of garlic (or 2 small cloves)
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary needles
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves stripped and reserved and stem discarded
4 fresh sage leaves
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 eggs
1 cup cream
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup whole grain, stone ground yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 can creamed corn
½ cup finely shredded parmesan
½ cup finely shredded sharp cheddar
2 cups of cubed French bread (1/2 inch cubes)
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Warm a 10 inch cast iron skillet over medium high heat on your range. As your skillet is warming, dump the onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme and sage into a food processor and pulse until diced. (If you don’t have a food processor, chop up these ingredients with a knife.)
Add the butter to your skillet and let heat for about 30 seconds. Scoop your chopped items to the skillet and lightly brown, stirring frequently. Remove from heat once lightly browned.
In a large mixing bowl, add your eggs and cream, whisking lightly. Add the baking powder, cornmeal, salt and pepper and whisk well to fully incorporate the ingredients. Pour in the creamed corn and stir thoroughly (I switched to a wooden spoon here so that the corn wouldn’t get stuck in the whisk.) Add the cheeses and stir well to evenly distribute throughout the batter. Now add the bread cubes and fold in so that they are soaked in the batter.
Pour the bread mixture into the skillet and then place in the hot oven. (If you feel the need to stir the mixture in the skillet to incorporate the aromatics into the mixture, feel free, but know that it is not necessary. I have tried it both ways and it turns out fantastic each time.)
Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the bread pudding is set. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before serving.
