Best Sweet Corn Pudding Pie Ever! Must-Try, End-Of-Summer Perfection.

All summer long we've seen sweet corn desserts popping up on our favorite restaurant menus in Brooklyn. I've had a sweet corn dessert–idea of my own brewing for some time now. Since there was a bunch of corn leftover from yesterday's Corn Silk Tea post, I set aside a little time to play with the idea last night: Sweet Corn Cream Pie!

Lovely friends, I'm obsessed with this dessert! I mean, it's no secret that I'm a total s(h)ucker for sweet summer corn but this brings it to a whole new level! I wanted to post the recipe ASAP in case you'd like to make it for a Labor Day celebration. Corn season is winding down, after all.

But let's talk about the pie, though, shall we? To impart the most sweet corn flavor, I let corn kernels and stripped cobs steep in warm milk. Next I used that "corn milk" to make a custard-y pudding using sugar, eggs, vanilla and cornstarch. To be honest, I could have stopped right there (I think boyfriend caught me having more than my fair share of "tastes" to make sure my proportions were right—whoops)! But eventually I put down the spatula, transferred the corn filling to a baked and cooled pie crust and let it chill overnight. You know what? I'll just show you. Here's how you make it...

SWEET CORN PIE

SWEET CORN PIE
SERVES: 8 to 10

FOR THE FILLING

2 ears fresh corn

2 cups whole milk

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup half-and-half

1/4 cup cornstarch 

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whipped cream, for topping 


FOR THE CRUST

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1 teaspoon sugar 

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces



1. Prepare the filling: Cut the kernels off 2 ears fresh corn using a sharp knife; break stripped cobs in half. Put the kernels, cobs and milk in a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Cover and set aside at least 1 hour (the longer the milk sits, the more corn flavor you'll get). 

2. Meanwhile, prepare the crust: Preheat the oven to 375˚. Pulse the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment until combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized bits of butter. With the motor running, drizzle in 2 to 3 tablespoons ice water until the dough stick together when gently pressed between your fingers. Turn the dough out onto a large piece of plastic wrap; use the plastic wrap to help you press the dough into a flat disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

3. Roll out the pie dough to 1/8-inch-thick on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate; trim the excess and fold the edges under (crimp as desired). Line pie crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 15 minutes, then remove the parchment and pie weights and continue to bake until whole crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes more. Let cool completely. 

4. Finish the filling: Remove just the cobs from the corn milk; discard. Add the sugar, half-and-half, cornstarch and salt to the corn milk and whisk until combined. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick, about 7 minutes. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl until combined. Very slowly whisk the hot corn mixture into the eggs, about 1/4 cup at a time, to bring them up to temperature. Return filling to saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Once boiling, remove from heat. Stir in the butter and vanilla extract. 

5. Pour corn filling into cooled pie crust. Press plastic wrap directly onto filling to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate at least 5 hours or overnight until set. Top with whipped cream before serving.