Spoonbread Souffle

I was looking through some old cookbooks and ran across this recipe for a Southern spoonbread. I do like a good spoonbread and this one looked particularly yummy and light because it uses beaten egg whites to make it fluffy, and as you know my love affair with eggs, I was sold. This is more a spoonbread than a souffle, but it has the souffle texture that makes it light and airy, and quite delicious, I might add. Additionally, one serving (and this makes 6 servings), is a mere 169 calories! We paired ours with a salad with blueberries and walnuts. But you could serve this as a delightful side to a pot roast, roasted chicken or a pork loin.

This recipe comes courtesy of the Simply the Best All American Weight Watchers cookbook.

Spoonbread Souffle
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
2 cups non-fat milk
1/2 cup stone-ground white cornmeal
2 tbs unsalted butter
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 large eggs, separated
1.5 tsp baking powder

1. Puree the corn and 1/4 cup of the milk in a blender or a food processor. Place the remaining milk in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pureed corn, butter, 1/4 tsp of the salt and the pepper. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

This is the consistency you are hoping for...

2. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a shallow 2-quart baking dish (I used a glass brownie pan) with nonstick spray and place in the oven while preheating.

3. With an electric mixer on high speed, beat the egg white and the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt in a medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Stir in the yolks and baking powder into the cornmeal mixture. Fold in the whites. (Remember that the point of the egg whites is to incorporate air into this dish, so use a rubber spatula and fold in the whites. Click the link to see how to fold.)

This is what the batter looks like with the whites folded in...

4. Remove the baking dish from the oven. Pour the mixture into the dish. Bake until the spoonbread is puffed and browned, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm.

Finished product...