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Kansas City-Style Cheesy Corn

Source of Recipe

From "One-Hour Comfort" by America's Test Kitchen


Recipe Introduction

"As you ladle out the rich, molten pools of cheese dotted with corn kernels and bacon nuggets, you'll understand that this is one stick-to-your-ribs corn dish. You could think of it as mac and cheese with corn standing in for the pasta. And just like mac and cheese, this dish is often served at barbecue joints, where they use barky bits of leftover smoked meats to flavor it. Start creating cheesy corn at home by rendering some cut-up bacon, a readily available substitute for those smoky morsels of barbecue scraps. (For good measure, add some cubes of ham, too.) Stir in corn kernels, plenty of cream cheese for a rich and tangy base, and milk to thin it out, plus granulated garlic and cayenne pepper. By the time the cream cheese is melted and smooth, the fresh corn kernels soften to give the dish a tender, sweet pop. Shredded yellow cheddar cheese—both stirred in and sprinkled on top—and a quick stint under the broiler tops off the cheesy flavor and gives it the right Kansas City look. You can substitute frozen corn for the fresh corn; a 14-ounce bag of frozen kernels will yield 3 cups. You will need a broiler-safe 1 ½-quart baking dish."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 2 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
â—¦ 4 ears corn, kernels cut from cobs (3 cups)
â—¦ 4 ounces ham steak, cut into ½-inch pieces
â—¦ 1 cup whole milk
â—¦ 8 ounces cream cheese
â—¦ 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
â—¦ ½ teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon pepper
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
â—¦ 6 ounces yellow cheddar cheese, shredded (1 ½ cups), divided


Recipe

Adjust oven rack 6 inches from broiler element and heat broiler.

Cook bacon in large saucepan over medium heat until crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add corn, ham, milk, cream cheese, granulated garlic, salt, pepper, and cayenne to saucepan, breaking up cream cheese with rubber spatula. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cream cheese is melted and mixture just begins to bubble at edges of saucepan, 8 to 10 minutes (mixture will be liquidy).

Off heat, stir in 1 cup cheddar until melted, about 30 seconds.
Transfer corn mixture to 1 ½-quart broiler-safe baking dish and top with remaining ½ cup cheddar. Broil until cheese is spotty brown, about 3 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8