American Corn

Because I love to celebrate the Fourth of July, no matter where in the world my feet happen to be planted, this year I’ll be fixing an American barbecue in Provence--even if it takes some detective work to find all the ingredients.

For the main course, we’ll serve quartered chickens marinated in lemon juice, garlic and cracked black pepper and cooked over a grill.

Alongside, we’ll have sliced ripe tomatoes sprinkled with chives. A salad of green beans and potatoes in a vinaigrette dressing and savory corn pudding will recall other Fourth of July holidays spent at home, as will strawberry shortcake for dessert.

The corn pudding may be a challenge to prepare in France. For years, corn has been used primarily as animal fodder. Only recently have the French discovered that the delicious taste of sweet corn is appropriate for their own consumption, but it’s still hard to find.

But once the corn is located, this dish can be assembled in short order.

The kernels are sauteed along with sweet onions and garlic and then stirred into a quickly made, butterless white sauce. The sauce is enriched with a seasoning of thyme and a little shredded white Cheddar. The pudding is baked until set and served warm, garnished with sprigs of fresh thyme.

CORN AND SWEET ONION PUDDING

3 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups evaporated skim milk or 1% milk

1 cup shredded Vermont sharp white Cheddar cheese

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Cayenne pepper

2 cups chopped sweet onions, such as Vidalias, or yellow or white mild onions

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

2 large eggs or equivalent of egg substitute, lightly beaten

2 1/2 cups scraped fresh corn kernels

Fresh thyme sprigs

Place flour in heavy, medium saucepan and whisk in 1/4 cup milk to make paste. Pour in remaining 1 1/4 cups milk and stir thoroughly. Place pan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Add cheese handful at time, whisking constantly. Remove sauce from heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste, dried thyme and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. Set aside to cool.

Spray large, heavy, medium skillet generously with non-stick spray. Place over medium-high heat. When pan is hot, add onions and cook, stirring until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes more. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper to taste and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne. Remove from heat.

Whisk eggs into cooled sauce. Add corn and onions. Spread mixture evenly in shallow, 6-cup, oven-to-table baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees on center oven rack until pudding is firm and golden on top, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool 5 to 10 minutes. Place cluster of thyme sprigs in center of cooked dish. Serve hot. Makes 6 servings.