Corn Macque Choux, Paul Prudhomme Recipe

This is one of Alex's all-time favorite dishes, and this most recent occasion, he actually made it for himself, leaving me free to document the creation of this fabulous dish that not many people outside the deep South have heard of. (Click any photo to go to its flickr page.)

Ingredients for 10-12 side-dish servings, or 4-6 main course servings:

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter (we just go ahead and use salted)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
7 cups fresh corn kernels, about 14 ears (we use fresh-frozen corn kernels)
1 cup very finely chopped onions (again, we use pre-chopped, frozen onions)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. Chef Paul Prudhomme Vegetable Magic (we used Poultry Magic)
2 1/4 cup vegetable stock or frozen corn kernels (once I used frozen creamed corn)
4 Tbsp. margarine (we just used the rest of the butter)
1 cup evaporated milk, total (I have also used heavy cream with great results)
2 eggs (we set ours out so they'd be room temp.)

In a large skillet, preferably nonstick (we actually use a big heavy Dutch oven), combine the butter and oil with the corn, onions, sugar, and Vegetable Magic.

Cook over high heat until the corn is tender and a crust starts to form on the bottom of the skillet, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stirring more as the mixture starts sticking (you WANT the mixture to stick).

Gradually stir in 1 cup of the stock, scraping the bottom of the skillet to remove the crust as you stir. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the margarine/butter, stir until melted, then cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the pan as needed.

Reduce heat to low and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add 1/4 cup additional stock and cook about 15 minutes, stirring fairly frequently. Add the remaining 1 cup of stock and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in 1/2 cup of the evaporated milk and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove corn from heat. Combine the eggs and the remaining 1/2 cup milk in a bowl and beat with a whisk about 1 minute, until very frothy.

Add this mixture to the corn, stirring well. The heat from the corn will cook the eggs just enough to give the dish a frothy texture. Serve immediately.