Florida Blue Crab and Sweet Corn Drop Pudding with Chorizo

Irv Miller

Ingredients:

12 ounces fresh Florida jumbo lump blue crab, cartilage removed
3 cups or 3-5 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels removed
2 links chorizo, diced fine
2 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup Vidalia onions, diced fine
2 tablespoons red serrano chili peppers, seeded and chopped fine
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped fine
2 tablespoons scallions, chopped small
1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, rinsed and chopped fine
½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, removed from stems and chopped
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary needles, removed from stems and chopped fine
1½ cups heavy whipping cream
4 extra-large, farm-fresh eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal (C&D Mill, Cantonment, Florida)
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup white cheddar, grated
1 cup Parmesan, grated
1½ teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon fresh-cracked black pepper

Butter spray

Instructions:

Add butter to skillet and sweat onions for 3 minutes. Stir jalapeño, serranos, and the scallions directly into the cooked onions. Add corn kernels and herbs. Heat this corn mixture in skillet over medium-high heat, and then reduce to a simmer. Add the whipping cream to skillet and simmer 5-7 minutes, or until slightly thick, to make creamed corn. Remove from heat to cool slightly.

In a medium-size mixing bowl, beat eggs and then add milk. Slowly whisk in cornmeal and then the ricotta. Ladle and stir in the cooked creamed corn into the egg mixture. Stir in measured salt and pepper and fold in grated cheeses and chorizo. Spray coat the cast iron drop biscuit pans and place in the oven for 5 minutes before filling. Avoiding breaking up lumps, divide all the crabmeat evenly into individual drop biscuit vessels. Next, use a 4-ounce ladle to transfer the batter and fill the spray-coated individual drop vessels to just under the rim.

Bake 12-15 minutes – until top begins to brown – and insert a toothpick in the center to come out clean. Let rest 5 minutes. Keep warm. Just before assembling dish, invert biscuit pan onto a pizza pan to prepare for transfer to plates.