Roasted corn is so easy to cook on the grill that we have it often during the early summer. Whenever we cook it, we grill 2 or 3 ears extra. When they cool, we slice the kernels off the ears and seal them in a Ziploc we keep in the freezer. When we have about a cup to a cup and a half saved up, we make Roasted Corn Soufflé.
This dish is a takeoff on that all-time southern favorite: Cheese Grits. But hold on to your hats - this one is WAY over the top!
Roasted Corn Soufflé
8 cups of cream* brought to a simmer
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp Crystal Hot Sauce
2 cups of Jim Dandy Quick Grits
1 to 1 1/2 cup roasted corn kernels
8 oz. of your favorite cheese (we like Pepperjack in this dish)- grated
3 cloves of fresh garlic, pressed
1 Tbs dried parsley
3 Tbs fresh parmigiano, grated
3 eggs separated
When the cream comes to a simmer, add the salt, hot sauce, and grits. Then turn the fire to low, put on a tight fitting lid, and let it simmer for 5 mins. Use your lowest burner, and stop the cooking early to prevent burning, if necessary.
Add the corn, both cheeses, garlic and parsley. You can choose to add the egg yolks or not - just beat them first, until they turn a light yellow, then temper with a big dolop of grits, and mix well before you add them back to the pan. Stir the mixture to cool it off.
Beat the egg whites until they hold a stiff peak, then slowly add in the grits mixture, folding between additions.
Pour the grits into a large, well-greased soufflé or tall casserole dish, top with more freshly grated parmigiano and bake at 350 degrees for about 45-55 mins, until it is golden on top. Cover with a piece of foil if the top is browing too fast.
Serves 10-12 as a side dish.
We want to be perfectly clear here: there is no such thing as a grit. In southern vernacular, there are three things we know of that are NEVER singular:
Ya'll
Grits
And as every gardener knows, Deer.
And just to set the record straight, there is no singular of "Ya'll," but there is a plural, and that would be "All Ya'll." As in, "We don't think we have enough beer for all ya'll."
But back to the grits.... The whole world has gone crazy over polenta - and if you know polenta, you know grits. Harold McGee tells us that both grits and polenta are corn meal - grits are ground slightly coarser. Grits often have a lighter beige color, while polenta can be golden yellow.
*Lighten Up!
Don't be put off by the amount of cream in this dish. Smart substitutions can be made that won't make a huge difference in the taste or texture. We use 4 cups of fat free milk and 4 cups of fat free half-n-half, but you could even use all milk if you prefer (we like the texture of the creamier half-n-half.) We're not crazy about the texture of melted fat-free cheese, but we would just leave it out - garlic and roasted corn are plenty to be joyful about!
