Spicy Corn Bake

From Cedella Marley’s Cooking with Herb

INGREDIENTS

• 4 ears corn, shucked
• 1 cage-free egg, lightly beaten
• 2 cups whole milk, warmed
• ⅓ cup fine yellow cornmeal
• 3 tablespoons cane sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 ½ cup grated mild cheddar cheese
• 1 ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 ½ tablespoon unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon CannaButter
• 6 scallions, minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, minced
• 1 Scotch bonnet pepper, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Grate three ears of corn on the medium holes of a box grater into a large bowl. Hold the remaining ear of corn upright and use a large sharp knife to slice from top to bottom, removing the kernels from the cob. Add the kernels to the corn pulp. Whisk in the egg, then add 1 cup of the milk, the cornmeal, sugar, cayenne, 1⁄2 cup of the cheddar, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 1⁄2 tablespoons of the butter and the CannaButter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the scallions, jalapeños, Scotch bonnet, thyme, 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the scallions are soft, about 2 minutes.
4. Stir the flour into the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until it becomes golden, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the remaining 1 cup milk, stirring occasionally, so you don’t get any lumps, then remove from the heat. Add the mixture to the corn mixture, whisking to combine.
5. Grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a 11⁄2-quart baking dish with the 1 tablespoon softened butter. Scrape in the corn mixture and bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup cheddar and continue to bake until the edges are set and the center is just barely set (but a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean), about 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with parsley, and serve