As its name implies, this savory Southern side dish is so soft it should be served—and eaten—with a spoon. You could serve the spoon bread as an alternative to cornbread with the barbecued ribs on page 202 or with the turkey chili on page 173.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more for baking dish

　　2 cups milk

　　1 1/2 cups fresh (from 2 to 3 ears) or frozen (unthawed) corn kernels

　　2/3 cup yellow cornmeal

　　Pinch of cayenne pepper

　　Coarse salt

　　1 cup finely grated white cheddar cheese, preferably sharp (4 ounces)

　　4 large eggs, whites and yolks separated

　　

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a deep 2-quart baking (or soufflé) dish. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, milk, corn, cornmeal, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt. 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.

　　

Step 2

With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt just until soft peaks form. Stir one-third of the whites into the cornmeal mixture until combined, then gently fold in the remaining whites with a flexible spatula. Pour into prepared dish.

　　

Step 3

Place dish in oven; reduce oven heat to 375°F. Bake until browned on top but still slightly loose in the center, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.

　　

Folding in Egg Whites

Step 4

The key to the dish’s fluffy consistency is to beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks: They should appear thickened but droop slightly when the whisk is lifted and turned right side up. To avoid deflating beaten whites when folding into the cornmeal mixture, work quickly, turning the bowl and running a spatula down through the center and then up at the sides, as if forming the letter J.

　　Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Copyright © 2010 by Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Published by the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Martha Stewart Living magazine was first published in 1990. Over the years, more than two dozen books have been published by the magazine’s editors.Martha Stewart is the author of dozens of best-selling books on cooking, entertaining, gardening, weddings, and decorating. She is the host of The Martha Stewart Show, the successful daily syndicated television show.