Ba'corn Cheese Corn

1. Cook bacon in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until almost crisp and fat is rendered, 7 to 8 minutes.

2. Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.

3. Drain frozen corn thoroughly in a colander. Add 1/2 of the corn to the skillet with the bacon. Cook and stir until kernels just start to turn golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic, green onions, and jalapenos; cook until vegetables start to soften and sweeten up, 3 to 4 minutes. Tilt pan to drain off some of the fat, using a paper towel to soak it up.

4. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Pour in cream; stir and bring to a boil. Stir in the remaining corn until heated through. Turn off the heat and add about 2/3 of the mozzarella and Monterey Jack cheese. Stir to combine. Top corn with remaining cheese and a sprinkle of cayenne.

5. Broil until heated through and top is browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Chef's Notes:

You can pan-fry all the corn, or none of it, in the bacon fat in step 2.

I used frozen corn with great success. If you want to use fresh corn, be sure to blanch it, or pan-fry it first, to take off the raw edge. The broiling step doesn't really cook the casserole, so you want the corn nicely cooked by that point.

You can make this ahead by waiting until serving time to top with cheese and broil. You can also bake this at 475 degrees F (250 degrees C). Feel free to Cheddar instead of Monterey Jack.