Non-Negotiable Thanksgiving Dish #1: Creamed Corn made with Cope's Dried Corn

I have a confession. I'm one of those people. You know those family members who throw a hissy fit if you don't make a certain, traditional item on Thanksgiving? Yeah... that would be me. If certain items aren't on my menu, I am not a happy camper. I realize that this is boring. I realize that this is out of character for someone who is obsessed with food. But, I might as well embrace my faults, no?

So.. the first item that is non-negotiable is the Creamed Corn (sorry three lactose-intolerant people coming to our Thanksgiving). I've written about this before, but I don't think I've ever actually shared the heart attack-inducing recipe. It came from a mid-90's article in Saveur Magazine by R.W. Apple, a brilliant writer who passed away two years ago. The recipe can be found right here. You'll see that it calls for four cups of milk and three cups of heavy cream. Oh, and also a half stick of butter. You can definitely cut back on the cream a bit (just up the milk). Don't lose the cream altogether, though. The texture will suffer, and this IS Thanksgiving after all. It's not a night for watching diets.

Most of you are probably wondering where to find dried corn. It's become a bit easier to find, so do call around to local gourmet stores to see if they have it in stock. If you can't find it locally, you'll need to order it. I searched around, and the best price is from John Cope's, the actual manufacturer. I realize that Thanksgiving is just a few days away. They charge $15.42 for two day shipping. That's a lot, but this dish is worth it, I promise.

(Note: I don't know where to find the corn in Chicago, but in Toledo it can be found at Churchill's, and in Ann Arbor, it can be found at Zingerman's. If anyone finds it locally in other cities, please share in the comments!)