I first tried Pastel de Choclo in Santiago Chile where it is the national dish and there are as many variations as there cooks.

The person that taught me this recipe didn’t measure anything and neither do I but it always seems to turn out well. — I tend to go heavy on the spices but I only add a little salt to the corn.

In a heavy skillet cook lean ground sirloin (a pound or so) with salt, pepper and cumin until it’s crumbly and well done. Set the beef aside and drain the excess fat from the pan leaving a little for the onions.

Then sauté a coarsely chopped medium-large white onion until slightly brown and layer with beef in an oven proof pan.

Top that with a layer of Hard boiled eggs sliced in half or in thirds followed by a generous layer of golden raisins and chopped olives.

Next cut enough boneless chicken thighs into large bite sized pieces to cover the pan. Season it well with salt, pepper and cumin and fry it in the same pan you used for the beef. -You may need to add a little oil.
Layer the chicken on top of your other ingredients.

To prepare the topping take 16oz Trader Joe’s frozen corn and put it in a blender with a little salt and some cream, blend this until it’s smooth. Pour it into a pan and cook it on the stove top over a medium heat, stirring often, until it’s about the consistency of mashed potatoes.

While that’s cooking put lots of fresh basil and a little bit of cream into the blender and pulse until it has a fairly fine texture. Just before the corn is done add the basil and cook for the last couple of minutes.
The corn mixture is poured on top of the pastel and dusted with powdered sugar.

Put the pan in a fairly hot oven (375 – 400° F) and bake until the top is brown and the sugar is caramelized.

As a side note:
In Santiago it’s fairly common to have a bowl of sugar on the table in case someone wants to add a little more sweetness.