Fresh-Corn Tamal Gratin (Budín de Uchepos)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large steamer or tamalera lined with fresh corn husks
• •Food processor or molino for grinding fresh corn
• •Cast iron comal or direct gas flame for roasting chile poblano
• •9 by 13-inch clay cazuela or baking dish

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the corn

   Pull back the corn husks carefully and save the widest, cleanest leaves for wrapping. Strip off the silk. Cut the kernels from the cobs into a wide bowl, scraping the cobs with the back of the knife to catch the corn milk. That liquid matters. It is what makes uchepos taste like fresh elote, not dry masa.

2. 2

   Grind the masa

   Grind the kernels in a molino if you have one, or pulse them in a food processor until you have a coarse, wet paste. Do not turn it into soup. Beat the softened manteca de cerdo in a bowl until light, then mix in the ground corn, salt, baking powder, and sugar only if the corn needs help. Add milk a spoonful at a time only if the mixture is too stiff to spread. The masa should mound softly on a spoon and smell green and sweet.

   Fresh corn changes by season. Young rainy-season corn may need no milk. Older corn may need several tablespoons. The cook adjusts because the market is alive, not standardized.
3. 3

   Steam the uchepos

   Lay two corn husks slightly overlapping on the counter. Spoon about 1/3 cup fresh-corn masa into the center, fold the sides over, then fold up the bottom. The packet will be softer than a dried-corn tamal. Stand the uchepos open-end up in a steamer lined with extra husks. Steam over steady medium heat for 45 to 55 minutes, until the masa is set, tender, and pulls away from the husk in a soft sheet. Let them rest 15 minutes before unwrapping.

4. 4

   Roast the poblanos

   Roast the chile poblano directly over a gas flame or on a very hot comal, turning until the skins blister and blacken in patches. Put them in a covered bowl for 10 minutes, then peel off the skins with your fingers. Do not rinse them under water. You worked for that roasted flavor, don't wash it down the sink. Remove stems and seeds, then cut the flesh into strips.

5. 5

   Cook the rajas

   Melt 1 tablespoon manteca de cerdo in a skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced white onion and cook until soft and lightly golden at the edges, about 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic for 30 seconds, then add the poblano rajas and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 5 minutes more, until the chile strips are glossy and the onion has taken on their green flavor.

6. 6

   Mix the crema

   In a bowl, whisk the Mexican crema with 1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt, half of the cotija, the queso fresco, and the chopped epazote. Taste it. It should be salty enough to season the sweet corn. Cotija is not decoration here. It carries the milkiness and salt that make the budín cut clean instead of tasting flat.

7. 7

   Layer the budín

   Heat the oven to 375F. Grease a 9 by 13-inch clay cazuela or baking dish with manteca de cerdo. Unwrap the rested uchepos and slice them lengthwise into thick pieces. Lay half of them in the dish, spoon over half the crema mixture, then scatter over half the rajas. Repeat with the remaining uchepos, crema, and rajas. Finish with the remaining cotija across the top.

8. 8

   Bake until set

   Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges are bubbling, the top is golden in spots, and the center no longer looks loose when you shake the dish gently. Let it rest 15 minutes before cutting. This rest is not politeness. It lets the fresh-corn tamal layers settle so each square holds together.

9. 9

   Serve family-style

   Bring the cazuela to the table warm, with salsa de jitomate asado and corn tortillas alongside. Serve generous squares, not tiny restaurant portions. This is Michoacán food for a table, not a tasting spoon. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •Use fresh corn when it is heavy for its size and the kernels burst with milk when pressed. If the kernels are dented and dry, they belong in another preparation, not uchepos.
• •Do not replace the chile poblano with bell pepper. Poblano gives the rajas their dark green flavor and soft bite. Bell pepper makes the dish sweet in the wrong direction.
• •Cotija from Michoacán is the proper cheese if you can find it. Aged, salty, dry. If all you can find is mild queso fresco, use it, but understand what you are missing: the sharp salt that balances the sweet corn.
• •A blender can work for the corn, but pulse carefully. A completely smooth puree bakes dense. Uchepos need a little texture, the way they come from a molino.

Advance Preparation

• •The uchepos can be steamed one day ahead, cooled, wrapped, and refrigerated. Slice them cold, then assemble the budín before baking.
• •The poblano rajas can be roasted and cooked one day ahead. Refrigerate them with their onion and juices.
• •The assembled budín can be refrigerated up to 12 hours before baking. Add 10 minutes to the baking time if it goes into the oven cold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 325g)