Not the Pilgrims' Scalloped Corn

This year was my sister's turn to play host for Thanksgiving.  I spent a good chunk of yesterday helping her clean house (I WILL expect payback at Christmas).  This morning I made scalloped corn, my contribution to dinner.  My version takes longer than recipes using canned cream corn as a base and it doesn't have the richness of those with heavy cream as a thickener, but it has an intense fresh corn flavor that had all the relatives asking how I made it.  If you're in a hurry you can use frozen corn instead of fresh, but it's not quite the same.

Beth's Scalloped Corn

7 ears of fresh sweet corn, husks and silk removed
1 tsp flour 
1/2 c plain light soy milk (yes, regular milk would work, too)
2 scallions, including greens, chopped
1 1/2 Tbl melted butter
1/2 cup crumbs (I used Ian's Whole Wheat flavor Panko crumbs, available at Sprouts)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and set aside.

Then, use a small knife to scrape ("milk") what's left on the cobs into a saucepan.  Whisk in the flour and 1/4 c of the milk.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened. Microwave two cups of the reserved corn kernels for two minutes on high.  Add the cooked kernels and the other 1/4 cup of milk to the mixture in the saucepan and stir together.  Use a stick blender, food processor, or regular blender to puree until smooth.

Add the puree and the chopped scallions to the remaining corn kernels and stir together.  Taste; adjust the flavor with salt and pepper as needed.  Pour into a 1-quart casserole (not greased!). Stir together the melted butter and the crumbs.  Scatter evenly over the top of the corn.

Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees.  Serve warm.  Serves 6 normally or 9 on Thanksgiving when 20 other things are being served.

Variation: Add 1/2 cup of chopped yellow pepper before pouring into the casserole.

"The Indian Corn, or Maiz, proves the most useful Grain in the World; and had it not been for the Fruitfulness of this Species, it would have proved very difficult to have settled some of the Plantations in America. " ~John Lawson