“I’ve found that Fritos are an amazingly adaptable ingredient,” says Kaleta Doolin. “Their crunchy texture and salty corn taste make a great counterpoint to sweet ingredients, and their familiar flavor adds a little taste of nostalgia to many contemporary gourmet recipes.”

This Recipe Makes 3-4 Servings

Dallas Morning News Photo

Whatcha Need for the Fritos Crust:

¾ cup Fritos corn chips
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg

Whatcha Do for the Crust:
Pulse dry ingredients in a food processor until they have the consistency of a fine meal. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add egg, and pulse 10 more times, or until the dough forms a ball. Press into a flat disc. Wrap in plastic wrap, and chill at least 1 hour.

Whatcha Need for the Filling:

1 ear of corn, kernels scraped
1 leek, white part only, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3 large eggs
1 cup half-and-half
1 roasted red bell pepper
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese

Whatcha Do for the Filling:
Sauté corn kernels and leeks in butter until tender; set aside. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and half-and-half. Add sautéed corn and leeks, red bell pepper, salt, and pepper. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350º. Press chilled dough into pie pan or tart pan to form a uniform ¼-inch crust. Bake covered with aluminum foil and pie weights for 15 minutes, or until firm and light-golden brown. Remove crust from oven. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Pour in filling mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until filling has set (about 30 minutes).

Source: Kaleta Doolin Family Archives / Chef Jennifer McKinney