is it an appetizer, side dish or dessert?

The best way to prepare vegetables is to cook them when they are in season.This year I find the New Jersey white corn to be especially good. I recently shared a corn chowder recipe from Delicious Orchards. I dug through my files again and found a recipe for sweet corn pudding. The recipe was published in a magazine that I'm assuming was called Garden Plate. The reason why I'm unsure is that while the corner of the torn magazine sheet reads "August/September 2006 gardenplate.com," I was unable to locate it via a web search. The recipe was originally published in The Summer House Cookbook, Random House 2003.

---

I think I made this recipe once before for a luncheon and as I recall it was delicious. I decided to try it again. The recipe calls for 4 cups of corn kernels (6-7 ears of corn), eggs, heavy cream, milk and fresh thyme. My herb garden has been doing great this year and thyme is one herb that I use frequently.
 
The recipe is quite easy to prepare. All but 2 cups of the corn kernels are pulsed in a blender (VitaMix would work perfectly) with the liquid ingredients, a small amount of flour, salt and pepper is also added. For texture, the remaining 2 cups of corn are added to the liquid. The pudding is placed in a baking dish and then that dish is placed in another pan with hot water coming half way up the side. This cooking method is known as bain marie. The custard bakes for approximately one hour and is done when the center is firm or a butter knife comes out clean after it is inserted in the center.
 
So when do you serve this? Well, after tasting this rich, creamy pudding, I would serve it as a side dish. I think the addition of the fresh thyme makes it a savory dish. The corn pudding would be a welcoming accompaniment to fried chicken (hot or cold), grilled steak or burgers. No serving suggestions were given, but it could be served cold or at room temperature.
It's a great do a head dish for a barbecue. I used one deep sided bowl in which to cut the corn kernels into, my blender to mix all the ingredients and a baking dish. And, it fits my mother-in-law's rule of 3 pots or less.