Tag Archives: corn

November 22, 2013 · 10:58 am

Custardy Corn Pudding, Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free

corn pudding, gluten-free and dairy-free

This custardy corn pudding is gluten-free and dairy-free, a perfect Thanksgiving side.

I am continually impressed by the wealth of content at the Joy of Kosher site. So when they asked me to develop a corn pudding recipe for Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, I was thrilled. I wanted to make a creamy corn pudding that was dairy-free, as well as gluten-free, so it could be served with a kosher Thanksgiving dinner.

While most corn puddings are rich with butter, cream and milk, and some are thickened with flour, this corn pudding is custardy and creamy without gluten or dairy. The light texture makes it a good complement to a hearty turkey dinner. (I only wish the photo had turned out better. I hate it when the sky is gray by 4pm in winter and there’s no natural light left for photos, leaving a glare from overhead lights.)

The creamy, custardy texture comes from coconut milk (the richer canned coconut milk, not the boxed, more watery coconut milk drink). The coconut flavor is subtle, with the standout taste being the taste of crisp corn. Fresh corn kernels cut off the cob work best, but since you’re not going to find fresh corn in November, frozen corn works too. I have to thank my mother for the idea for this recipe, and for the idea of adding coconut milk. (Thanks, Mom.)

The eggs give the pudding a light, soufflé-like consistency, studded with nuggets of golden corn. It may seem fussy to bake the pudding in a water bath, but I tried this recipe both with and without a water bath. I found that using a water bath (baking the dish set in a larger pan surrounded by hot water) is the way to go. It insulates the soufflé, cooks it evenly and gently, and prevents it from falling and deflating.

On this Thanksgiving, that’s something to be thankful for.

You can find my full corn pudding post on the Joy of Kosher site, along with the accompanying recipe.

Leave a comment

Filed under Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

November 18, 2013 · 12:04 pm

Thanksgivukkah Corn Pancakes

Thanksgivukkah corn pancakes

Thanksgivukkah corn pancakes, topped with sour cream, black beans and cilantro.

Because of a rare quirk in the calendars, this year Thanksgiving and Hanukkah overlap, giving rise to the once-in-a-lifetime holiday of “Thanksgivukkah.” The unusual occurrence has inspired riffs on the holiday like “menurkeys” (turkey-shaped menorahs), funny T-shirts (a turkey holding a sign that says, “Eat latkes”), pithy sayings (“Gobble tov!”) and of course fun food combos (latkes with cranberry applesauce and pecan pie rugelach).

Thanksgivukkah — now that’s meshugenah!

Not only is Thanksgivukkah fun to say, it’s fun to celebrate, as well. There is something to be said for enjoying both holidays with family and friends, honoring liberty and latkes at the same time. (Disclaimer, it may be more fun for me, because I am not hosting it at my house. Thanks, Josh and Jonna!) And with Hanukkah out of the way early, I’m looking forward to taking December easy, relaxing while others are stressing out about shopping, and— best of all — avoiding stores with cloying Christmas songs on a continuous loop.

Consider getting into the Thanksgivukkah spirit with meals that combine some traditions of each holiday. While nothing will take the place of potato latkes, try mixing it up with these gluten-free Thanksgivukkah corn pancakes. The corn pancakes are cooked in a little bit of oil, recalling the oil in the Hanukkah story, yet feature the Thanksgiving staple of corn.

Topped with sour cream and black beans — or for a non-dairy option, a mix of black beans, corn and salsa — the festive pancakes can be served as appetizers before a Thanksgivukkah meal, or for a Hanukkah lunch or brunch.

On this one-and-only Thanksgivukkah — baby’s only Thanksgivukkah! — have fun and be a little silly. In the words of the Dirty Sock Funtime Band, “Thanksgiving and Hanukkah, come light the menurkey. Let’s have a party, we’ll eat lots of turkey!”

The challenge for the Kosher Connection this month was to create a Thanksgivukkah mash-up recipe. Check out the many other creative Thanksgivukkah recipes, by clicking the frog icon below. (Please be aware that not all recipes are gluten-free.)

Let us know what you are doing to celebrate Thanksgivukkah by leaving a comment.

Gobble tov!

Click for Thanksgivukkah Corn Pancakes recipe

6 Comments

Filed under Hanukkah, Jewish holidays, Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , ,

May 3, 2013 · 4:45 pm

Fiesta Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas, Gluten-Free

quesadillas

Festive gluten-free quesadillas are stuffed with cheese, corn, black beans and cilantro

This post also appears as a guest blog at Rudi’s Gluten-Free Bakery.

When we first went gluten-free, I embraced corn tortillas as a bread substitute. Cheap and versatile, corn tortillas are easy to find and easy to make into wraps, tacos and quesadillas. Their many uses always makes me think of this scene from the movie Airplane! (McCroskey: “Johnny, what do make out of this?” Johnny: “This? Why I can make a hat, a brooch, a pterodactyl…”)

But then I realized that many brands of corn tortillas also contain wheat, and they have an annoying habit of falling apart unless you heat them just-so.

That’s why I was delighted to find Rudi’s gluten-free tortillas, because they are flexible and don’t fall apart. They’re made with whole grains — sorghum, brown rice, corn, amaranth, quinoa, millet and teff. I especially like the fun green color of the spinach tortillas. (Just make sure you buy the gluten-free tortillas. Once I bought the regular ones by mistake, but luckily I noticed when unloading the groceries.)

For a Cinco de Mayo Mexican meal, celebrate with these gluten-free quesadillas, stuffed with a festive filling of cheese, corn, black beans and cilantro. Any type of gluten-free shredded cheese is fine here, but for Cinco de Mayo try a Mexican cheese blend.

It’s fiesta time!

(Disclosure: I wrote this post because I like Rudi’s products. I was not compensated for the post, other than receiving some coupons that I will probably forget to use.)

Fiesta Corn and Black Bean Quesadillas, Gluten-Free

(gluten-free, kid-friendly)
By Gluten-Free Nosh
Printable recipe

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup corn kernels (defrost, if frozen)
  • 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
  • 6 Rudi’s gluten-free tortillas
  • 2 cups shredded cheese
  • Salsa

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Toss together corn, black beans and cilantro in a large bowl.
  3. Stack tortillas on a plate, and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds.
  4. Place three tortillas on a large cookie sheet. Sprinkle 1/3 cup cheese on each tortilla. Spoon 1/3 cup black bean and corn filling on top of the cheese, distributing evenly on each tortilla. Sprinkle an additional 1/3 cup cheese on top of filling for each tortilla. Top with another tortilla.
  5. Bake for 7 minutes, or until tortillas are slightly crispy and cheese is melted. Cut each quesadilla into six wedges and serve with salsa.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

3 Comments

Filed under appetizers, entrees, Recipes

Tagged as , , , , , , , , ,