Sucre-Style Corn Pie

Ingredients

• choclo (fresh field corn on the cob)
• 2 cups milk
• white cornmeal or cornstarch (maicena)
• salt
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
• butter
• 4 egg yolks
• squab (pichones), jointed
• picadillo (seasoned minced-meat filling)
• pasas de Málaga (Málaga raisins)
• almonds
• olives
• hard-boiled eggs

Instructions

1. Grate the fresh corn (choclo) and pound it well in a mortar or grinding stone.
2. Add one cup of milk, stir, and strain through an open-weave cloth, pressing to extract the juice; grind the pulp again with a second cup of milk and strain again.
3. Into the corn juice add white cornmeal or cornstarch a spoonful at a time, stirring and beating until thickened.
4. Season with salt and one to two tablespoons of sugar to bring out the corn's sweetness.
5. Melt a large piece of butter and beat it into the batter until incorporated.
6. If too thick, thin with a little milk, then cook over moderate heat, tasting often until done.
7. Remove from heat, add more butter, stir, and let cool; once cool, mix in four egg yolks.
8. Grease a heatproof earthenware dish and spread a layer of corn batter over the bottom.
9. Arrange the filling on top: either jointed squab in adobo and stewed, or a spiced picadillo with Málaga raisins, almonds and olives; top with hard-boiled egg slices and olives.
10. Cover with a second layer of corn batter and bake until the surface is deeply golden.
11. Serve straight from the oven, as hot as possible.