Sweet Corn Tomalito

Sweet Corn Tomalito

This dish is an all time favorite of Amanda's - it's a version of one I used to order at a restaurant when I was younger and spent forever recreating it to taste just the same. It a sweet corn dish utilizing three types of corn then baked in a water bath to make the most delicious and moist (yes, I said it) dish ever!

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Servings 8

Ingredients

  

• 5 tablespoons butter room temperature
• ¼ cup masa harina
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup water
• 2 cups frozen corn kernels thawed & dried
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons milk

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees and grease an 8x8 inch square baking dish.
• Place the butter, masa and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and combine using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Set aside.
• Place half the corn kernels and water in a blender (or food processor) and puree until smooth.
• Add the pureed corn to the butter mixture and stir well to combine.
• Add in the remaining corn kernels, corn meal, baking powder, salt and milk and mix with a spoon or rubber spatula until everything is combined.
• Pour the mixture into the 8x8 inch baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Place the dish into a large roasting pan and fill up the roasting pan with water until it comes about ⅔ of the way up the side of the 8x8 inch dish.
• Place the roasting pan (with corn dish) into the oven and bake for about 1 - 1½ hours; you want everything to be firm and cooked through, but not dry.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
• Use an ice cream scoop to serve.

~Amanda~

Sweet Corn Tomailto is one of my guiltiest pleasures and it’s something that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get enough of! What in the world is it, you may be asking – well, it’s basically like a cross between cornbread and corn pudding, it’s sweet (but not too sweet) and moist and tastes just heavenly. I first tried Sweet Corn Tomaltio at a Chevy’s restaurant when I was young and instantly fell in love – if you’ve ever been there, it’s that yellow ball of corn that comes as a side to almost every dish. I mean who wouldn’t enjoy eating their corn when it’s made this way with just enough sugar to make it almost taste like dessert instead of a side dish!? Nobody said this was healthy… but it is so so good!

I was fairly heartbroken when all the Chevy’s restaurants in Colorado closed down and I couldn’t get my fix of Sweet Corn Tomalito whenever I wanted anymore. The only Chevy’s restaurant that I am able to actually go to now is in Bloomington Minnesota when we visit our relatives out there every few years. I will honestly admit that we have gone straight from the airport to Chevy’s on multiple occasions where I place an order of about 12 servings of this delicious corn to go and eat pretty much all of it in the car (no judgement, please), it really is THAT good! Over time, as I developed my skills in the kitchen, I decided that this is one dish that I needed to learn how to make at home so that my only option when the craving hits isn’t out of the state.

It took me a long time to go through and test out all the ‘copycat’ versions of this recipe out there and figure out what balance of ingredients I liked best and what cooking method got that perfectly moist texture. Many years later, here we are and I am finally ready to share what I believe is the best recipe that tastes almost exactly like the Chevy’s version with you guys – you are SO lucky. And although I can make this anytime I want now, I honestly only ever make it on holidays because in my mind it is a ‘special occasion’ food and I don’t ever want to get sick of it!

When you’re making this corn there are a few important things to note; make sure when you’re blending up the corn, you only do half of it. One of the great things about this dish is that you have some of the corn pureed into it, but you also add whole corn kernels so you get that chunky texture and bite too. In addition to the regular corn you also use masa harina (which is a fine corn flour that is also used to make tortillas) as well as corn meal – there is no shortage of corn flavor here! Another important note is that you MUST cook this in the water bath as instructed. This ensures that the corn bakes slowly and stays very moist – without the water bath it can become dry and won’t be nearly as delicious. Okay guys, it’s time – now that you have all my Sweet Corn Tomalito knowledge, please try making this on your own and let me know if you think it’s as good as I do! Enjoy!