Isaac Hayes' Corn Pudding

I grew up listening to Isaac Hayes. My feet still gets moving when I hear the music from Shaft or You Never know. I was really saddened to hear that he passed on today, 8/10/08 in Memphis. I picked up his cookbook called "Isaac Hayes Cooking with Heart and Soul" maybe 8-9 years ago and loved reading this book. It was part autobiography of his dirt poor childhood, his family, his grandparents, his start, his rise, his family now and his love of cooking. Before this book, I was really not that familiar with soul cooking or southern cooking. It wasn't just the recipes, he talks to you before the recipes and continues on through the book. I fell in love with southern and soul cooking through him. Thank you Isaac Hayes! To celebrate the man, his life, cooking and music, I like to submit this recipe from his book.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb corn kernel, frozen
• 1 (15 ounce)  cream-style corn
• 1 1⁄2 cups milk
• 4  ounces chopped pimiento, drained
• 1  medium green bell pepper, chopped
• 3  tablespoons flour
• 3  tablespoons butter, melted
• 2  teaspoons sugar
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 4  egg whites, beaten until stiff
• 3  slices  cooked bacon, crumbled
•  butter or   vegetable oil, for baking dish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Generously butter or spray with oil a 3-quart baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine the corn kernels, cream corn, milk, pimientos, bell pepper, flour, butter, sugar and salt. Mix well. Fold in the egg whites and gently spread in the prepared dish.
3. Bake pudding until it is slightly firm, about 1 hour. Sprinkle with bacon and serve.