Corn Cakes

Remember this meal? Beef fajitas, chips, and corn cakes. It was delicious!

Does anyone else out there have a hard time planning the side dish with a meal? I do. I have my stand by side dishes that are boring, such as green beans, corn, roasted red potatoes, and peas. But, usually the side dish to any of the dinners I make is just an after thought to the main protein of the meal.

This recipe for corn cakes takes some planning because it bakes for an hour, but man is it worth it. The corn cakes are sweet and heavenly with a little bit of color. They go great as a side dish with Mexican main dishes and are anything but ordinary.

Ingredients:

1 small can mexicorn

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/3 c. masa harina

1/4 c. water

1/4 c. self rising cornmeal

1/3 c. sugar

2 T half & half

1/2 t. vanilla

Drain the can of mexicorn and place on a cutting board. Mexicorn has corn, of course, but along with that there are red and green bell peppers. The peppers are not hot at all, they simply add color to the dish. If you would prefer, this recipe can be made with a small can of corn.
Roughly chop the mexicorn by running the knife through the pile a couple of times. Each individual kernel doesn't have to be chopped - just chop some of them up. Set the corn aside, it will be mixed in later.

Whip the butter using an electric mixer. I love my mixer. It was a wedding shower gift that we had at Mr. T's church he grew up in. I remember I was so surprised and excited to receive this gift that my eyes were brimming with tears. He affectionately calls the ladies who gave us the gift, blue hairs. I am pretty sure he called them that in high school too.

Add the masa harina and water to the whipped butter. Combine using the electric mixer on low until just incorporated. Masa harina can be found in the baking isle. I found it close to the corn meal and flour - it is in a clear bag.

Masa harina is the dried form of masa. Masa is made by cooking corn kernels in lime, which is the chemical calcium hydroxide [ formula: Ca(OH)2] and then allowing it to steep. Calcium hydroxide is a base which is technically called an alkaline. The alkaline breaks down the cell wall of the corn. Finally, the remains are ground into a dough.

Add the chopped mexicorn and self rising cornmeal to the bowl. Again, mix until just incorporated on the lowest speed possible.

In a small mixing bowl, place the vanilla, half & half and sugar.

Whisk the ingredients together. This is how the recipe becomes sweet instead of just plain old cornbread. The vanilla is a great additive to the dish as well.

Put the sweet mixture into the mixing bowl with the cornmeal mixture. Lightly fold it in. Yummy!

Pour the mixture into an ungreased 8x8 baking dish. Smooth the top of the batter with a spatula. It will be a little thicker and chunkier in consistency than say a brownie mix.

Cover the 8x8 baking dish with aluminum foil and then place in a larger baking dish. I used a 9x13 dish, but really anything larger would work. Pour very hot water into the second, larger dish until it is filled about 1/2 of the way. I used 2 cups of water that I microwaved in a measuring cup.

This technique of cooking is called bain marie or water bath. It is traditionally used to make Creme Brulee. Creme Brulee is my sister's, the lib lawyer, signature dessert. She still hasn't made it for me, so I cannot comment on how good it actually is. HINT HINT

The oven will be set at 375 degrees, but the water in the bath can only reach a temperature of 212 degrees, which is water's boiling point. At that point the liquid water molecules become gas through the process of vaporization. In effect, the water bath is insulating the corn cake mixture from the heat of the oven and allowing it to cook at an even temperature. Bake the corn cakes at 375 degrees for 60 minutes or until it is cooked through. It should take the better part of an hour to cook, be sure not to peek - hard I know! Just let it do it's thing.

Scoop the corn cake out using an ice cream scoop. I like to serve these as an individual side dish in ramekins. I think it makes it a little more special than just cutting out a square piece, but you could do that as well.