Ritzy Vegan Friendly Creamed Corn

My dear sister-in-law has made this creamed corn for years.  It is the most delectable thing and it’s hard to not just shovel it into my mouth by the spoonful.  The recipe is all over the internet and according to both my sister-in-law and the whole entire internet, it’s from the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, but I cannot seem to find any source on the web for the Ritz that can verify this rumor.  It makes me think of the chocolate chip cookies recipe that allegedly came from Neiman Marcus with a price tag of $500 and the lady emailed it all over creation.  

The twist with my recipe is that I make it dairy-free because I have a child with a severe dairy allergy and by default this modified recipe is also vegan friendly.  Some ingredients have stars next to them.  See my chef notes on those ingredients at the end.  

You will need the following:

• 2 16oz packages of frozen corn
• 1 cup soy milk
• 1 cup canned coconut cream* 
• 6 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• One pinch of white pepper**
• 2 TBSP melted plant based butter***
• 2 TBSP flour
• Plant based parmesan shreds****

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large pot, combine corn, soy milk, canned coconut cream*, sugar, salt, and pepper**.  Bring all that to a boil and then reduce to simmer for 5 minutes.  Meanwhile, make a roux by melting the plant based butter*** over a low temperature.  Slowly whisk in the flour until all incorporated.  Add the roux to the corn mixture and stir well.  Pour the mixture out into a 9×13 inch casserole dish.  Top with the parmesan shreds****.  Bake for about 10 minutes until the corn mixture bubbles and the shreds become melty.  Optional: Turn oven to broil to create a crisp crust of the parmesan shreds.  

*Canned coconut cream is very thick and replaces the whipping cream in the original recipe.  It may solidify if it gets cold, just like coconut oil would.  If it solidifies, it must be warmed up so that the fat and the liquid are incorporated.  Heat up on a low setting in a small saucepan until the solid turns to liquid and all the liquid can be mixed together. I find the canned coconut cream at Trader Joe’s.

**Start with one pinch of white pepper and add more to taste.  White pepper is generally considered “spicier” than black pepper.  In my book, a pinch is the equivalent of 1/8th teaspoon.  My family tolerates a little kick of heat in our food, so I generally use about 1/4th teaspoon of white pepper.  Just remember, you can add more, but can’t take it out.  Also, I usually buy the Tampico brand spices because it’s about $1 and it’s not a huge investment for such a small amount of spice.  You can also look for white pepper in the bulk spice section of Sprouts or Whole Foods. 

***My recommendation for plant based butter in this recipe is Earth Balance.  Look for it in the stick form for easy measuring, but can be easily scooped out in the tub form.  You can find the stick form of Earth Balance at Fry’s, Whole Foods, Sprouts and Natural Grocers.  

****Plant based parmesan cheese shreds can be hard to come by.  I use the Follow Your Heart brand and think it tastes like the real deal.  I generally find it at Sprouts, Whole Foods, and Natural Grocers.  

My whole entire family goes bonkers for this creamed corn casserole.  It’s become a tradition to serve at every Holiday and special occasion meal, but it’s easy enough to make on a Wednesday.  Take it to a potluck and everyone will ask you for the recipe for this ritzy dish. One day we will get back to potlucks and now you already know what to bring.  

As a final note, if you don’t care about being dairy free, you can certainly make this dish by using whole milk instead of the soy milk, whipping cream instead of the coconut cream, regular butter, and regular parmesan cheese.  The measurements will all be exactly the same.  If you’re a gluten free eater, I have not made this with any GF flour, but if you do, please let me know how your creamed corn turns out!