There are two things I most remember about evaporated milk. First, it was the creamer for my Mom and Dad’s morning coffee. There was always a little can of Carnation Evaporated Milk in the refrigerator with two small holes punched in the top, and my folks used that along with some sugar for their coffee. The second memory involves my Uncle Jim’s recipe for homemade ice cream. Instead of milk and/or cream, he used evaporated milk and it was about the richest stuff you’ve ever put in your mouth. It was yummy, at first, then the richness took over. By the end of the first bowl, you never wanted to even see another can of evaporated milk
So what does all this have to do with Evaporated Corn Pudding. Not much, really, only that about the best tasting corn pudding in the world is made with evaporated milk.
Evaporated milk is a shelf-stable canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. It differs from sweetened condensed milk, which contains added sugar. Sweetened condensed milk requires less processing since the added sugar inhibits bacterial growth. By adding water back to evaporated milk, you supposedly have milk, but it doesn’t taste the same. It does take up less space and because it has been sterilized and canned, it lasts practically forever.
Corn pudding is one of those dishes we don’t serve enough, as it’s usually reserved for special occasions like Thanksgiving and festive celebrations. But Corn Pudding is really easy to make, everybody loves it and it is especially good when made with evaporated milk. Here’s how:
Put a bag of frozen corn in a mixing bowl along with 5 beaten eggs, a cup of sugar, 1 t vanilla, 1 t salt, 1 C sugar and – yes – one large can of evaporated milk. Mix it all together, put it in a well-greased casserole dish and bake in a 350-degree oven for about 40 or 45 minutes, or until it turns golden brown. Be sure to put a cookie pan beneath the casserole dish, as it sometimes bubbles over.
You’ll be surprised how quickly this dish “evaporates” when family or guests dig in.
Evaporated Corn Pudding
1 bag frozen corn
5 eggs
1 t vanilla
1 t salt
1 C sugar
1 large can of evaporated milk