Budín de Elote y Rajas Norteño

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9 by 13 inch baking dish or wide ceramic cazuela
• •High-powered blender
• •Heavy skillet for sweating the onion and rajas
• •Tongs for charring the poblanos over open flame
• •Box grater for the queso Chihuahua

Instructions

1. 1

   Char the poblanos

   Set the chile poblano directly over an open gas flame or under a hot broiler. Turn them with tongs every couple of minutes until the skin is blackened and blistered on all sides. You want black, not brown. Transfer to a bowl, cover with a plate, and let them sweat for ten minutes. The skin will lift on its own.

   Never peel a poblano under running water. The water washes away the smoke and that smoke is half the flavor of the rajas. Wipe the skins off with a paper towel or rub them between your hands.
2. 2

   Cut the rajas

   Peel the blackened skin off the chiles. Pull out the stems and seeds. Slice each chile lengthwise into strips about a third of an inch wide. These are your rajas. In the north, the rajas go in generous. This dish is not shy.

3. 3

   Sweat the onion and rajas

   Heat two tablespoons of the melted lard in a skillet over medium. Add the white onion with a pinch of salt. Cook for five to seven minutes until soft and translucent, never browned. Stir in the garlic and cook one minute more. Add the rajas, toss to coat, and cook another two minutes. Pull off the heat and let it cool while you build the batter.

4. 4

   Blend the corn base

   Put four cups of the corn kernels into a blender with the crema, eggs, the remaining melted lard, masa harina, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Blend until mostly smooth but with some texture remaining. You are not making a soup. You are making a batter that still remembers it came from corn. If your blender struggles, add the milk a tablespoon at a time, just enough to keep things moving.

   The sugar is not optional and it does not make this a dessert. Northern field corn has natural sweetness, and the two tablespoons bring that out. Skip it and the budin tastes flat.
5. 5

   Fold in the whole kernels

   Pour the blended batter into a large bowl. Fold in the remaining two cups of whole corn kernels with a spatula. You want both textures: the smooth body of the blended batter and the pop of whole kernels in every bite. Asi se hace y punto.

6. 6

   Layer the budin

   Heat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish or a wide cazuela generously with lard. Pour in half of the corn batter and smooth it. Scatter half of the rajas and onion across the top. Sprinkle with half of the shredded queso Chihuahua. Pour the rest of the batter over, spread it gently, then finish with the remaining rajas and the rest of the cheese.

7. 7

   Bake until set and golden

   Bake on the middle rack for 45 to 55 minutes. The budin is ready when the top is deeply golden, the cheese has melted into amber pools and crisped at the edges, and a knife inserted in the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs. The middle should feel set but still tender, not rigid. If the top is browning too fast before the center sets, tent loosely with foil for the last fifteen minutes.

8. 8

   Rest and serve

   Pull the budin from the oven and let it rest ten minutes on the counter. Do not skip this. Hot from the oven it will collapse when you cut it. Rested, it slices into clean squares with the rajas and cheese in clear layers. Serve with a spoonful of crema and a scatter of crumbled queso fresco. In the north this goes alongside carne asada, frijoles charros, and flour tortillas. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •Queso Chihuahua is the cheese for this dish. If you cannot find true queso Chihuahua or queso menonita, Monterey Jack is the closest substitute outside Mexico. Do not use cheddar. Cheddar is Tex-Mex and it does not belong here.
• •Char the poblanos over open flame, not in the oven. The direct flame blisters the skin without overcooking the flesh, and the smoke is part of the rajas. A broiler works in a pinch but it cooks the chile through and the rajas turn limp.
• •If the corn is in season and sweet, you do not need the sugar. Taste a raw kernel. If it tastes like sugar water, cut the sugar in half. If it tastes starchy and pale, use the full amount.
• •This dish belongs on a northern table alongside carne asada, frijoles charros, hand-pressed flour tortillas, and a dish of pickled jalapenos. It is a side, not a main. No me vengas con atajos trying to turn it into dinner on its own.

Advance Preparation

• •The rajas and onion mixture can be made one day ahead and refrigerated. Bring to room temperature before layering.
• •The full budin can be assembled in the baking dish, covered, and refrigerated for up to 8 hours before baking. Add 10 minutes to the oven time if going in cold.
• •Leftovers reheat well in a 350F oven, covered with foil, for about 15 minutes. The microwave makes the rajas weep and ruins the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 290g)