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1
Preheat oven to 400F.
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2
Butter a deep 2-quart baking (or souffle) dish.
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3
In a medium saucepan, combine butter, milk, corn, cornmeal, cayenne, and 1 teaspoon salt.
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4
Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring frequently, until mixture is slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes.
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5
Remove from heat; stir in cheese.
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6
Let cool until just warm to the touch, about 15 minutes.
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7
Stir in egg yolks until combined.
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8
With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt just until soft peaks form.
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9
Stir one-third of the whites into the cornmeal mixture until combined, then gently fold in the remaining whites with a flexible spatula.
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10
Pour into prepared dish.
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11
Place dish in oven; reduce oven heat to 375F.
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12
Bake until browned on top but still slightly loose in the center, 25 to 30 minutes.
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13
Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
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14
The key to the dishs fluffy consistency is to beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks: They should appear thickened but droop slightly when the whisk is lifted and turned right side up.
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15
To avoid deflating beaten whites when folding into the cornmeal mixture, work quickly, turning the bowl and running a spatula down through the center and then up at the sides, as if forming the letter J.
