Initial thoughts:
creamy corn infused custard
corn flake crust
candied corn flakes to add crunch element
Flavor + Texture
Flavor - First things first, toasted is always better: brown butter, toasted marshmallows, caramelized onions, etc. So, to add depth to what might otherwise be a one note pie, I wanted to char my corn and bring out that summer grilled corn essence.
I wanted to infuse as much of the sweet corn flavor into the custard as possible, so after cutting all the kernels off, with the back of a knife I also scraped any remaining bits and juices from the cob into my blender with the kernels. To maximize corn flavor even more, I added the stripped cobs to the mixture while thickening, as well.
Texture - to achieve an extra luscious creamy filling I did three things: (1) I double strained the mixture, once after blending and once after cooking. (2) I used 3 parts evaporated milk to 1 part whole milk. Evaporated milk, as the name suggests, has about 60% of its water evaporated, leaving a concentrated, rich, and creamier version of its watery beginnings. It also lends it a slightly caramelized flavor (see notes on this on “flavor” :P). Lastly (3) I wanted a thick filling with some body that would hold together and not run everywhere when the pie was cut, so I added a little more corn starch than the average custard calls for.
While the crust will be adding an element of texture, I wanted the crunch to be balanced. On the bottom, but on the top or in the middle, as well. To that end, candied corn flakes seemed to be the only answer, adding not only a crunch to counterbalance all the creaminess, but also, yes, even more caramelized flavor !
Finished Product - and thoughts…
Hiccups (besides the burnt cornflakes on the bottom of my oven):
The filling ended up being far too runny even with the extra corn starch; In the end I added more than double the cornstarch and egg yolks than I started with.
Too much filling, not enough pie pan. I had about 1 cup of filling left after filling my pan to the brim. If you have a deeper pie pan than me, no problem! I also enjoyed eating the extra filling on its own. However, I’ll adjust the recipe to account for that next time.
Servings: 8 large slices
Preparation Time: 6-8 hours, preferably overnight (or about 1-2 hours active time)
Corn Filling
4 ears of pre-prepared corn
1 - 12oz can evaporated milk
1/2 cup whole milk (will leave this out next time)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
5 T cornstarch
4 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 T butter
8oz cream cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
Corn Flake Crust
200 grams corn flakes
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
7 T butter, melted
Candied Corn Flakes
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 T high fructose corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
6 T butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/2 cups corn flakes
Whipped Cream
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, cold
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
Method
To make the corn custard:
Start by charring 3 ears of the corn, you can do this on a grill, in the oven on broil, or (what I did) using a kitchen torch. Cut the kernels off and add them to a blender with all of the ingredients except the vanilla, butter, cream cheese, and heavy cream.
Blend until smooth. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a medium sized bowl and place of a smaller pot of boiling water for a double boiler type of situation. Stir continuously with a whisk until the mixture reaches 190 degrees F or until it is very thick. Strain again before covering with plastic wrap and placing it in the fridge to cool completely, 3-4 hours.
To make the crust:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
Place the corn flakes, sugar, and salt in a blender and blend on a low speed until the flakes are a fine crumb. On the lowest speed, slowly pour in the melted butter until the mixture starts to stick to itself. Turn off blender and scrape the sides as many times as necessary to incorporate all of the ingredients.
Press into an 8” pie pan in an even layer before baking for 30 minutes. Let the crust cool completely.
To make the candied cornflakes:
Add the sugar, syrup, butter, and salt in a medium/large pan over medium heat. Stir until it comes to a boil, then allow to bubble for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. After it has boiled, add the vanilla and baking soda. The mixture will bubble up quite a bit. Gently stir in the corn flakes so that all are coated, then pour onto a parchment line baking sheet with raised edges. After the pie crust comes out of the oven, bake the corn flakes for 50 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool completely before transferring to an airtight container until ready for use.
Assembly:
To complete the filling, warm the cream cheese slightly so you can stir it until it’s smooth. Add a few spoonfuls of the cooled corn custard and stir until smooth to loosen up the cream cheese before adding this mixture back into the corn custard and stirring to combine everything together.
Add the 1/2 cup of heavy cream for the filling to a cold mixing bowl and whip with the whisk attachment on high until it reaches stiff peaks.
Gently fold in the whipped cream to the corn custard/cream cheese mixture before pouring into the cooled crust. (If you left out the extra 1/2 cup of milk hopefully it will all fit, but don’t pour past the top of the crust, stop before it spills over.) Place in the refrigerator until set, about 4-6 hours or overnight.
Serving:
When ready to serve, whip the rest of the heavy cream along with the powdered sugar and vanilla extract until it reaches stiff peaks. Pipe, scoop, or spread the whipped cream onto the chilled pie however you like; I used a small cookie scoop to create a ring of whipped cream mounds around the edges of the pie. Char the last ear of corn and cut it off the cob to scatter on the top of the pie along with plenty of the candied corn flakes. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
yes corn cream! sounds like the filling could be salvageable as an ice cream? 🌽
This is genius!!! Love it- Thabk you for sharing your recipe in such beautiful detail