Sweet Corn Cream Pie

This sweet corn cream pie is PERFECT in so many ways. From the corn flake crust to the light and milky corn cream mousse, this (almost) no bake pie is great for summer. It's perfect in the way it allows the delicate flavor of corn to come through -- a flavor that blends splendidly with butter, sugar, and mascarpone. What you get is a slightly savory, lightly sweet unique pie.

Step 1: Tools + Ingredients

Tools:

• food processor
• cooling racks
• pie dish
• blender
• mixing bowls
• skillet
• fine mesh strainer
• hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk (you can do it by hand, it's a great workout)
• oven preheated to 375°F (190° C)

Pie Crust Ingredients:

• 175 grams (1 1/2 cups) finely ground corn flakes (6 1/2 cups whole corn flakes reduces to 1 1/2 cups)
• 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
• 1 pinch Kosher salt
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Corn Mousse Ingredients:

• 3 ears fresh corn on the cob, kernels removed (1 1/2 cups)
• 3 tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp Kosher salt
• 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, divided (see instructions below)
• 1/4 cup mascarpone

Step 2: Measuring the Corn Flakes

Your best bet is to use a kitchen scale to measure out 175 grams of corn flakes. If you don't have a scale, here's what you do instead:

1. Use a measuring cup to measure approximately 6 1/2 cups of corn flakes into a food processor fitted with a metal blade.
2. Grind until the cornflakes become a very fine powder. The smaller the granules, the better for shaping the crust.
3. Measure 1 1/2 cups of the corn flake powder.

Step 3: Making the Corn Flake Crust

Similar to a graham cracker crust, this corn flake crust is one of the easiest crusts to make and is great for topping with corn mousse.

Add the melted butter, sugar, and salt to a large bowl. Using a spoon, mix until everything is combined.

Step 4: Forming the Crust

This crust will be more crumbly than sticky, so I recommend using wet hands to press it down to form a crust.

Pour the moist corn flakes into a pie dish. Use your fingers to spread an even layer. Sometimes I like to use a flat bottomed measuring cup to really pack it down.

The resulting crust will be grainy like a sand castle -- but just holding together! If the corn flake granules are too large, they won't stick together.

Step 5: Baking the Pie Crust

Transfer the pie crust to the preheated oven or refrigerate until you are ready to bake.

Bake in a 375°F (190° C) oven for 16 - 18 minutes. The baking time depends on how thick your crust is and how dark you like it. Your crust should be in the range of light golden to dark golden brown.

Once your pie crust is done baking, place it on a cooling rack and allow it to come to room temperature.

Step 6: Making the Corn Cream

Not to be confused with creamed corn, this is a thick and creamy corn infused cream that creates the corn flavor base for the pie. To extract the essence of the corn, use fresh "sweet corn" kernels.

Combine the fresh corn kernels, 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 3 Tablespoons sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt in a large skillet. Cook the corn in the cream over medium heat for 5 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent the cream from scalding.

Blend the tender corn mixture until very smooth. Pour over a fine mesh strainer fitted over a large bowl. This will remove any fibrous bits of corn. Scrape along the under-side of the sieve; there's lots of good corn cream down there.

That's it. Now you have ultra smooth and delicately flavored corn cream.

Step 7: Making the Corn Mousse

Move the corn cream to the refrigerator to cool while you make the whipped cream. Pour 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream into a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. You can also do this step by hand with a whisk.

Beat the cream just until it appears fluffy. It's important to avoid over-mixing whipped cream because it very quickly turns to butter.

Remove the cold corn cream and whisk in 1/4 cup mascarpone. Mix until very smooth, then fold in HALF OF THE WHIPPED CREAM (reserve the other half for topping the pie).

Step 8: Filling and Serving the Pie

Fill the pie crust with the corn mousse, spreading evenly with a spatula. Chill in the fridge until the mousse firms up a bit (1 hour). Place a large dollop of the remaining whipped cream on top.

Use a sharp knife and offset spatula to serve by the slice.

Store any leftover pie in the fridge in a container. It'll be good for three days, but I doubt it will last that long.

*Thanks for reading. Make this recipe? Head over to TheFrayedApron.com and rate the recipe:)

-Sara

chef, recipe developer, photographer