This is a great accompaniment to almost every recipe in this book because it offers a sweet counterpart to most of the spicy and tangy flavors found in other recipes. And because the ingredients needed are found in most pantries, the batter can be whipped up at a moment’s time and left to bake unattended.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　5 cups fresh corn kernels (about 8 ears fresh corn) or 5 cups frozen corn kernels, defrosted (see Cooking Notes, page 14)

　　2 tablespoons milk

　　4 large eggs, separated

　　4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

　　1 tablespoon cornstarch

　　1 teaspoon baking powder

　　1 1/2 teaspoons salt

　　

Preheat the Oven and Prepare the Pan

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square or round baking dish with butter. Set aside.

　　

Puree the Corn

Step 2

Combine the corn and the milk in a food processor and puree until the corn is well blended. The result will be a mixture with a rough consistency.

　　

Prepare the Eggs

Step 3

Put the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and, using a rubber spatula, mix until well blended. Add the pureed corn mixture, melted butter, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Mix well.

　　

Step 4

Put the egg whites in a bowl. Using an electric hand-mixer, beat until stiff peaks form. Using the same rubber spatula, stir one-quarter of the beaten egg whites into the corn mixture. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites.

　　

Bake

Step 5

Pour the corn mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 1 hour. The tart is ready when a skewer inserted in its center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.

　　

Serve

Step 6

Because the texture of the tart is similar to that of a soufflé, the best way to serve it is to scoop it out of the pan with a large spoon.

　　

COOKING NOTES

Step 7

INGREDIENTS

　　

Step 8

Corn

　　

Step 9

Frozen corn works just as well as fresh corn and is preferable during the winter when corn is not in season. If you are using frozen corn, measure the amount needed before defrosting.

　　

Step 10

TECHNIQUES

　　

Step 11

Pureeing Corn

　　

Step 12

A food processor is the best equipment to use for this. You can put all the ingredients in at once and let it puree. A blender can also work; however, you may have to puree the corn in batches and scrape down the mixture with a rubber spatula.

　　

Step 13

ADVANCE PREPARATION

　　

Step 14

This dish is best eaten soon after it has come out of the oven. However, you can serve it at room temperature after it has sat for an hour or so.

　　

Step 15

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

　　

Step 16

While this recipe calls for a 9-inch square or round baking dish, you can go the extra mile and make individual tarts in 6-ounce ramekins. Reduce the baking time to 30 minutes. The individual tarts are ready when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

　　Reprinted with permission from Simply Mexican by Lourdes Castro, © April 2009 Ten Speed Press. Buy the full book at Amazon or Bookshop.