Creamy and Crunchy Corn Casserole

Over the weekend I had a huge craving for one of Brian's delicious burgers.  He seasons them with Worcestershire sauce and garlic, then gets the cast iron pan screaming hot for a great sear, and he serves them with a mound of amazingly good caramelized onions on toasted ciabatta rolls.  I had to have one!  So, while he was out shopping for the ingredients, I got to work on the side dishes.

I made a big bowl of our broccoli salad but I wanted something else alongside.  Not potatoes or rice, since we'd be eating the rolls but maybe another veggie.  We live on sweet, fresh, Long Island corn in the summer but, the rest of the year, I keep bags of frozen kernels and cans of unsweetened corn around.  So I decided a creamy, cheesy corn casserole with a crunchy topping was the perfect side dish for the burgers.  The whole dinner was so good, in fact, that we made it again the next night.  Enjoy!

Ingredients
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 Clove garlic, peeled and minced
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
2 Tablespoons cornmeal
1 1/2 Cups milk
1 Egg
1 Cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 Cups corn kernels (canned or frozen both fine)
2 Tablespoons chopped chives or parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
1/4 Cup seasoned panko breadcrumbs
1 Tablespoon canola oil

Melt the butter in a large pan and add the garlic.  Saute on low heat for a couple of minutes, just until the garlic softens.  Whisk in the flour and cornmeal and slowly add in the milk.  Continue whisking until all the flour and cornmeal has dissolved and the mixture begins to thicken.  Season to taste.

Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk in a couple of tablespoons of the milk mixture to raise the temperature of the egg.  This will help prevent the egg from scrambling when it goes into the hot sauce.  Add the egg into the pan along with the cheese, corn kernels and herbs.  Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish.

In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs and olive oil.  Sprinkle evenly on top of the corn mixture and bake in a 350 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes or until the casserole is set and the breadcrumbs are a nice golden brown.  Serve hot.  Makes approximately 4 servings.

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