Bacon and Cheese Spoon Bread
James McNair's Cheese Cookbook, p. 64
"Old-fashioned spoon bread is a hearty addition to the brunch, lunch, or dinner table. To make a 'white' version, use white cornmeal, cream-colored Cheddar, and white corn kernels."
1/2 pound (about 6 thick slices) bacon
1-3/4 cups water
3/4 cup coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
2 cups (about 6 oz) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter, at room temperature
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp salt (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup buttermilk
4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup fresh corn kernels (cut from about 4 ears) [or one can, drained -E&L]
In a skillet, cook the bacon until crisp, remove with a slotted utensil, and drain well on paper toweling. Crumble and reserve.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Bring the water to a simmer in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add cornmeal in a slow, steady stream while cooking continuously with a wire whisk. Reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring constantly. Lightly beat the egg yolks and stir them in with the corn kernels and most of the bacon, reserving a little bit for topping.
Beat the egg whites with a wire whisk or electric beater until stiff peaks form. Stir a couple tablespoons of the whites into the cornmeal mixture and then gently fold in the remaining whites. Pour into a buttered 2-quart soufflé dish or casserole. Sprinkle remaining bacon on top and bake until firm and golden brown, about 50 to 55 minutes. Serve bread hot; use a big spoon for scooping out the servings.
Serves 6.
LYNDA SAYS: This was yummy. A few people were surprised by the texture: It's more like a soufflé than it is like bread. An electric mixer (again, can't say enough good about our KitchenAid ones) made short work of stirring melting cheese into thickening cornmeal, not to mention whipping eight egg whites (double batch) into stiff peaks. I think it'd be better with a touch more salt next time, or perhaps livened up with some herbs, but others liked it exactly as it was. When Robby came by afterwards he ate what little was left of this dish and assured us it's also good cold.
EMILY SAYS: I agree that it was yummy, although with all the cheese we put in, I expected it to be a little cheesier. Herbs also sound like a good idea to me. Maybe even just some more garlic. I made such a mess of my hands stirring in the egg whites -- a wider shallower bowl would have worked better than the narrow tall one for this stage. :-p