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This recipe was given to me many years ago by James G. Harrison of Coggins Point Farm on the south side of the James River about halfway between Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia. “People try to make a dessert of corn pudding,” Mr. Harrison told me then. “You should never put sugar in corn pudding!” His wife, Maria, would prepare this recipe only when corn was young and sweet because its flavor depends on absolutely fresh corn.

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

2 large eggs, beaten until frothy

2 cups fresh whole-kernel sweet corn (4 small to medium ears)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Butter a 1½-quart casserole well and set aside.

2. Melt the butter in a medium-size saucepan over moderate heat, blend in the flour, then add the milk and cook, whisking constantly, for about 5 minutes or until thickened and smooth. Blend about 1 cup of the hot sauce into the eggs, stir back into the pan, and cook and stir 1 minute—do not boil. Set off the heat and mix in the corn, salt, and pepper.

3. Pour the corn mixture into the casserole, set in a large shallow baking pan, and slide onto the middle oven rack. Pour enough hot water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the casserole.

4. Bake the pudding uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes or until set like custard. Cool for 10 minutes, then serve as a vegetable. It’s delicious with roast or fried chicken, also with Baked Virginia Ham Chapter 3.

MAQUE CHOUX

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

The best time to make this Cajun classic is when sweet corn and tomatoes are in season, and the fresher the better. However, I make it off-season using canned tomatoes and flash-frozen corn, which is often sweeter than what I buy at my farmer’s market. People often ask me what maque choux means. I wish that I had an easy answer. Some say that the word is American Indian and that it refers to the corn, pepper, and tomato stew they passed along to the Cajuns. On the other hand, John Folse writes in his Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine that maque choux derives from the Creole word for corn (maque) and the French word for cabbage (choux). Early Louisianans apparently did make maque choux with cabbage. Today chicken and shrimp are likelier additions, particularly among the Cajuns. I personally prefer this vegetable version.

4 tablespoons bacon drippings

1 large yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and coarsely chopped

1 large garlic clove, finely chopped

4 cups fresh or solidly frozen sweet corn kernels

½ cup water

3 large ripe tomatoes, peeled, cored, and chopped or one 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes in sauce

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

¼ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

¼ teaspoon ground hot red pepper (cayenne), or to taste

1. Heat the drippings in a large, heavy nonreactive skillet over moderately high heat for 1 minute. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook and stir 3 to 5 minutes more or until limp and lightly browned.

2. Add the corn and water, stirring until the mixture boils. Adjust the heat so the liquid bubbles gently, cover, and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the corn no longer tastes raw.

3. Mix in all remaining ingredients and cook uncovered, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the flavors mellow. Taste for salt, black pepper, and cayenne and adjust as needed.

4. Ladle into a heated vegetable dish and serve as an accompaniment to roast chicken or turkey, roast pork, or baked ham. Good, too, with boiled or grilled shrimp.

BUTTERMILK CORN CAKES

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

These are popular in many parts of the South both as breakfast food and as a potato substitute. If served at the start of the day, they’re accompanied by sausage, country ham, or bacon and topped with sorghum molasses or maple syrup. If served as a lunch or dinner “side,” they’re more apt to come with melted butter or gravy. Note: Small corn kernels work best here; I use either canned or frozen whole-kernel sweet