We See Your Corn Pudding And Raise You A Corn Custard Pie

We're turning all our Thanksgiving favorites into pies this year. Welcome to Piesgiving 2021. Bring your appetite.

Here at The Takeout, custard is considered a key ingredient (just take a look at all these recipes!), so it should come as no surprise that I am once again trying to widen our Thanksgiving custard horizons. If pumpkin and sweet potatoes can both be turned into custard pies every Thanksgiving, then why not corn? Cornmeal and corn syrup are already all over the baked goods scene, so there's no reason frozen corn should be left out in the cold.

Even if you know nothing about baking, there's an excellent chance you'll be able not only to make this corn custard pie, but to blow people away with it. Instead of baking the corn custard in a traditional rolled pie crust, as you might with a pumpkin pie, I use a crunchy crumb crust made from pulverized cornflakes.

• 4 cups cornflake crumbs
• 6 Tbsp. melted butter
• 1 Tbsp. corn syrup
• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 lb. frozen corn, thawed
• 2 cups half and half, plus an additional 1/2 cup if necessary
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 3 eggs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together cornflake crumbs, melted butter, corn syrup, and salt until evenly combined, then press into the bottom and sides of a 10-inch pie or tart pan and bake for 10 minutes. Click here for detailed directions on how to make a crumb crust. 

In a blender, puree the corn and half-and-half together for about 30 seconds. Set a fine mesh strainer over a bowl and pour in 1/4 of the corn mixture, pressing with a heavy spoon or spatula to extract as much liquid as possible. Repeat three more times, then measure. You should have about 3 cups of liquid; if you're short, add more half and half. Pour the mixture back into the blender with the sugar, vanilla, salt, and eggs. Blend for 15 seconds or so until smooth.

Place the pre-baked crust onto a sheet pan, carefully pour in the custard, and set on the center rack of the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, bake undisturbed for 45 minutes, then give the pie a gentle wobble. If the middle looks barely jiggly, it's done; if it's loose, give it another five minutes, then check again. Set it on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely; this pie can be served at room temperature, or refrigerated and served cold.