It could have been a lazy Sunday afternoon in Mexico, with a handful of women gossiping as they shared recipes. Only the place was mid-Wilshire in Los Angeles.
The recipe was totally Mexican, though, a corn dessert from the state of Veracruz-- pudín de elote. Showing how to make it was Diana García, 18, from the city of Córdoba, Veracruz. It's a specialty of her mother, María del Carmen Aguilar Ortega, who was present too--via phone as Diana called home to double-check the details.
The first step was to cut away the kernels from fat ears of corn. Diana, who is here as a student, popped them off with her thumb rather than slicing with a knife (above).
Next, she combined the ingredients in a blender, making layers of condensed milk, corn, eggs, vanilla and butter. Little by little, she blended this until finely ground (above).
Then she poured the mixture into a buttered and floured baking dish (above).
Here's how it looked when it came out of the oven, golden brown and rich with the aroma of fresh corn.
After the pudín cooled slightly, it was time to slice and taste. Sometimes, Diana's mother puffs it up with baking powder. Diana's touch is a sprinkle of cinnamon, which is a nice accent for the corn.
PUDÍN DE ELOTE
Veracruz Corn Dessert
From María del Carmen Aguilar Ortega
and Diana García
3/4 cup canned sweetened condensed milk
4 cups fresh corn kernels (5 to 6 ears corn)
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
6 tablespoons butter, softened
Ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 10x6-inch baking dish.
Place the condensed milk in a blender container. Add some of the corn, then both eggs. Add more corn, then the vanilla. Add a little more corn and half of the butter. Add the remaining corn and top with the remaining butter.
Blend at low speed until combined, then blend on medium speed until finely ground.
Turn into the prepared baking dish. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake 45 minutes, until golden brown and a wood pick comes out clean. Cool in the baking dish on a rack. While still warm, cut into squares. Serve sprinkled lightly with cinnamon.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
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