The Cornbread Gospels (13 page)

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1¼ cups unbleached white flour

1¾ cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

2½ cups milk

⅓ cup mild vegetable oil

2 fresh garlic cloves, pressed

1 large onion, finely chopped or, if you prefer, grated

1 cup canned creamed corn (see Pantry,
page 351
)

¼ to ½ cup sliced jalapeño peppers (fire-roasted, sautéed fresh, or canned pickled)

1½ cups (6 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar or Jack cheese

1 tablespoon butter

Salt, for sprinkling the bread

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray an 11-by-15-inch baking pan with oil, and set aside.

2.
Sift or stir together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.

3.
Break the eggs into a second medium bowl, and whisk them well. Whisk into them the milk, oil, and pressed garlic.

4.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures, using a whisk (the batter will be thinner than usual).
Use as few strokes as possible. Stir in the onion, creamed corn, jalapeños, and half the cheese, mixing just until the ingredients are well combined.

5.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and top with the reserved cheese. Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and dot with the butter (which will melt instantly) and a sprinkle of salt. Serve, hot, right away. But, as Chou-Chou says, “It is also fabulous cold the next day.”

M
AKES
12
SQUARES

Jane is the Texan sister-in-law of my Vermont neighbor Peter Stamm. Her Southwestern cornbread, made without wheat flour or sweetener, lets the corn-ness come through loud and clear, even with all the embellish ments. It’s ultrarich: it contains three eggs and quite a bit of oil, which, with the creamed corn, make it very moist. The finished product has nice crunchy edges and a golden brown top: It’s almost impossible to stop eating.

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1½ cups stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon mild vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 small onion, diced

1 cup canned creamed corn (see Pantry,
page 351
)

2 to 3 fresh jalapeños, diced

1 cup (4 ounces) grated Cheddar cheese

1.
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray an 11-by-15-inch baking dish with oil.

2.
Put the cornmeal in a medium-size bowl and sift the salt, baking powder, and baking soda into it. Stir well.

3.
Whisk together the ⅓ cup oil, eggs, and buttermilk in a large glass measuring cup. Place the remaining tablespoon of oil in the prepared pan, and place the pan in the oven. Have the remaining ingredients prepped and ready to roll.

4.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures together, stirring with a fork or whisking a few times to get rid of any large lumps, but don’t overbeat. The batter will be somewhat thinner than most cornbreads.

5.
Quickly stir in the onion, creamed corn, jalapeños, and cheese. Remove the hot pan from the oven and transfer the batter into it, then return the pan to the oven.

6.
Bake the cornbread until golden and crusty around the edges, 20 to 22 minutes.

M
AKES
8
WEDGES

Patsy Watkins, chair of the University of Arkansas School of Journalism, makes a jalapeño cornbread that is similar to my very own Dairy Hollow House Skillet-Sizzled Cornbread (
page 12
). Patsy is very particular that the jalapeños be pickled for the piquancy of the vinegar.

Vegetable oil cooking spray

1 cup unbleached white flour

1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 tablespoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1¼ cups buttermilk

1 egg

2 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup mild vegetable oil

¾ cup frozen corn kernels, thawed

About ¾ cup grated extra-sharp Cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese

⅓ cup chopped pickled jalapeños

2 tablespoons butter or mild vegetable oil

1.
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil, and set aside.

2.
Sift together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.

3.
In a smaller bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Whisk in the egg, sugar, and oil. Then stir in the corn, cheese, and jalapeños.

4.
Put the prepared skillet on the stove over medium heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle. Tilt the pan to coat both the sides and bottom.

5.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and combine them quickly, using as few strokes as possible. Scrape the batter into the hot, prepared pan and bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool for a few moments, and slice into wedges to serve.

M
AKES
8
WEDGES

Chipotle chile peppers are actually jalapeño peppers that have been dried and smoked. They are often packed in adobo sauce, which is full of herbs and spices and adds lots of flavor in and of itself. Together, they lend this cornbread a slightly complex, smoky-sweet-hot flavor.

If you like, bacon drippings can be used in place of the butter; the bacon’s smokiness plays up that of the chipotles.

This is excellent with almost any kind of bean stew.

Vegetable oil cooking spray

⅓ cup butter

1 cup coarse stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 cup unbleached white flour

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs, lightly beaten

⅔ cup milk

4 canned chipotle peppers (stems removed and discarded) plus 2 teaspoons adobo sauce, puréed

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with oil and dollop in the butter.

2.
Combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.

3.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, and puréed chipotle-adobo mix in a small bowl.

4.
Place the prepared skillet in the oven to heat up for a few minutes, allowing the butter to melt.

5.
Combine the cornmeal mixture and the egg mixture, stirring until everything is just mixed. Then pull the skillet from the oven and pour about half the melted butter from the skillet into the batter. Stir the butter in, and working quickly so the skillet remains almost smoking hot, transfer the batter into it. Put the whole shebang back in the oven and bake until it’s deep golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

S
ERVES
6
TO
8
AS A SIDE DISH,
4
AS AN ENTRÉE

I have to say that I love, love,
love
this particular cornbread, a kickin’, very hot meal in a pan. Is it really a full meal? You bet. Serve it with either a salad or the simplest of soups (like heated-up tomato juice with a bit of golden miso stirred in at the end, and the juice of a lime), and, honey,
you have dined.
Fresh mango for dessert, maybe with lemon sorbet, or just ice-cold watermelon wedges. Tecate or Dos Equis to drink.

¼ cup mild vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

1¼ cups stone-ground white cornmeal

⅓ cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon sugar

¾ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

¾ cup canned creamed corn (see Pantry,
page 351
)

2 cups well-drained cooked kidney beans

½ cup sliced pickled jalapeño peppers, well drained

1 cup (4 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese, or a Cheddar-Monterey Jack mixture

1.
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2.
Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, and add 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the onion and sauté it until it’s limp and transparent, about 5 minutes.

3.
As the onion sautés, combine the cornmeal, pastry flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a medium-large bowl. Stir them together well.

4.
Whisk together the buttermilk, egg, and creamed corn in a small bowl. In a second small bowl, stir together the beans and jalapeños.