There are many corn pudding recipes, but this one is my favorite. First, it is pure nutrition. Second, it is simplicity itself. Third, it's amazing. (Fourth, it is great fun watching guests try to guess what you “mix into the corn” to make it so light and flavorful. Answer: nada.) You can of course use fresh corn from the market, but corn begins to lose its sweetness from the moment it is picked, so for the best possible dish get your corn from a local vegetable stand, or best of all from your own garden. I've never tried this with frozen corn and probably wouldn't.

Since this is a summer dish, and I don't like to turn on the oven on a hot day, I usually cook this on my covered gas grill. I begin by putting a couple of bricks on the grate, spread slightly and with foil stretched across so as to shield the entire bottom of my Pyrex baking dish. I then preheat the grill just as I would the oven to a medium heat (350F/180C). After the pudding is done the grill is ready for whatever meats or vegetables are planned for the meal, and there is no need to rush because the pudding is best after sitting and cooling for at least a half an hour.

Grating the corn is not easy, because you have to hold it against the grater without grating your knuckles, fingertips, or nails. This forces your hand into a position where it will quickly become achy, so don't rush it and take a break if needed.

As usual, this recipe is sized for one to make it easier to scale, but actually I would never try to make less than a four-serving sized dish. It works very well sized up to however many servings your (shallow) dish will handle. I've made it for very large barbecue parties with great success.