Cheddar-Corn Spoon Bread

By HeatherS

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, plus more for baking dish
• 2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 cups corn kernels
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• Coarse salt
• Pinch of cayenne pepper
• 1 cup sharp white cheddar cheese
• 4 large eggs, separated

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Butter a 2-quart souffle dish or casserole; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, milk, corn, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon salt, and cayenne. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cheese. Let cool until just warm to the touch, about 15 minutes. Stir in egg yolks until combined.

In a clean mixing bowl, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Stir 1/3 of the whites into cornmeal mixture until combined, then gently fold in the remaining whites with a rubber spatula. Pour into prepared dish.
Place dish in oven; reduce oven heat to 375 degrees. Bake until browned on top but still slightly loose in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

To avoid deflating beaten whites, use quick, circular motions, running spatula down through center then up at sides.