Charred Corn Custard in Poblano Cups

Creamy, sweet, crunchy and earthy. This dish is packed full of sweet corn and earthy poblano peppers with just a hint of chipotle and onion. Its sure to please the corn lover in your life!

Tips to get you started:

· Always wash fresh produce before use.

· Frozen corn may be used in place of fresh. If you wish to char this type of corn you could do so by placing it in a rimmed baking pan on a silicon baking mat or parchment paper and broiling it for a few minutes until the kernels start to get dark brown caramelized spots (watch carefully as this will go quick once it starts!).

· Shredded cheddar or jack cheese may be used in place of the queso blend.

· At the end of Part Two: To enhance the corn flavor in the custard, once you have cut off the kernels from the cob, place the cob in a bowl and scrape the remaining pulp from the cob into the bowl. Strain the resulting pulp through a mesh strainer and add the resulting corn “milk” to the custard mixture before baking.

Prep time: 20-30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes on the grill plus 40-60 minutes cooking time in the oven

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 Poblano peppers

2 Large fresh ears of corn (approximately 1 cup yield), shucked and silk tassels removed

3 Scallions, thinly sliced - greens only- whites reserved for another use

½ Cup heavy whipping cream

½ Cup goat milk or whole milk

½ Cup queso shredded cheese blend

1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour

2 Large organic free-range eggs

¼ - ½ Teaspoon Cholula brand chipotle sauce

1 Teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Avocado oil spray

Part one: Preheat grill to approximately 400 degrees F. Place whole corn ears directly on grates and rotate using tongs about every 10 minutes, until you have patches of corn which have turned dark brown to black in a few places around the ear of corn (approximately 40-60% of the corn should have at least a kiss of color from the grill). Turn off the grill. Remove corn from the grill and cool for 30-60 minutes.

Part two: Once corn has cooled, cut it from the ear by standing the ear up on the wider end and slicing down along the cob (but not getting any coarse cob bits in the resulting corn). Break up any large clusters of kernels with your fingers. Set aside while you prepare the peppers and custard. *See note on the optional flavor enhancement that may be done at this stage.

Part three: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cover a large lasagna pan or baking dish with aluminum foil and oil lightly with Avocado oil spray. While the oven heats, cut the poblano peppers in half lengthwise. Remove the veins and seeds and discard. Arrange the peppers cup side up in the baking dish, propping the peppers up with one another (you may need to add a small heat proof prop if there aren’t enough peppers to fully support one another, I like to use oven safe ramekins). Set aside while you prepare the custard.

Part four: In a medium mixing bowl, combine the eggs, flour, salt, chipotle sauce milk, and heavy whipping cream (and optional corn “milk”). Whip with a whisk until small bubbles form on the surface. Then add your scallions, corn and cheese, stirring gently a few times to combine.

Part five: Pour the custard into the pepper cups and carefully transfer to the preheated oven. Don’t worry if some of the custard runs out and around the base of the pan but try to get some custard mix and corn in each poblano cup. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until the custard is set in the middle and a knife or toothpick inserted into the custard, comes out clean. Turn off the oven and remove peppers from the oven and allow them to rest for a few minutes before serving.

Serving suggestion: These peppers are delicious served with baked polenta rounds, a drizzle of lime crema and my Smokey Tomato Jam!

Tiny chefs at home? They can help:

· Measure ingredients

· Break up corn clusters

· Whisk the custard

Nutrition information:

Total Calories: 278

Total Fat: 20 g

Cholesterol: 149 mg

Sodium: 641 mg

Total Carbohydrates: 16 g

Sugars: 4 g

Protein: 10 g

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice.