Min Jin Lee’s Corn Pudding

I was 24 years old when I married Chris, and his grandfather’s old friend Tony and his elegant wife, Sue, invited us newlyweds to their Fifth Avenue apartment for dinner. The meal was terrific, but in particular, I loved the corn pudding. The recipe was from Sue’s friend, and that friend had attributed it to someone named Babs. In my mind, Babs is Anonymous — that unheralded and unacknowledged writer of all reliable recipes we turn to when we are desperate for something tasty, easy and budget conscious. The original recipe was for half the volume, but because absolutely everyone at Thanksgiving likes it so darn much, I now double it for ease. Lastly, corn was the generous gift of the Wampanoag to the starving Pilgrims, and when I make it, I remember the history of the Indigenous people, Sue and Tony, and of course, Babs.