SOUTHERN STYLE SKILLET CORNBREAD

I made this three times in a row: easy, simple, delicious! It will shine next to a hearty bowl of chili (I highly recommend our favorite recipe, one of the oldest in this bewitched spot). This is a small version, good for 2 people with leftovers or 4 to clean the pan.

SOUTHERN STYLE SKILLET CORNBREAD
(adapted from fieldcompany)

bake in 8-inch cast iron skillet
(recipe can be doubled for larger size pan)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 large egg (whisk and eye-ball half the amount for the recipe)
1 ear of corn, kernels removed (about 1/2 cup kernels)

Turn the oven to 425F and place your seasoned cast iron skillet inside, to heat it up as you prepare the recipe.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter gently in a microwave and set aside to cool.

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate small bowl, whisk the buttermilk, egg, honey, and the cooled melted butter until well combined. Add the wet ingredient mixture to the dry ingredients and whisk gently until combined, being careful not to over mix. Gently fold the corn kernels into the batter with a rubber spatula.

Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter to the skillet and swirl to evenly coat the bottom and all sides. Pour the batter into the hot, buttered skillet and use a rubber spatula to smooth the top. Return the skillet to the oven and bake until the top of the bread is lightly golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, 15 to 18 minutes.

Allow the cornbread to cool in the pan for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: It is recommended that you use fresh corn kernels, but the recipe works very well with frozen. Canned corn will be a bit too mushy, so I advise against using it. This is not a sweet type cornbread, even if it has a bit of honey. Cumin or chili pepper could be nice additions, if you like some heat.

We enjoyed it with a bowl of chili (recipe here) and it was truly wonderful comfort food on a Saturday evening.


ONE YEAR AGO: Bolo do Caco, a Bread from Madeira Island

TWO YEARS AGO: Silikomart Raggio

THREE YEARS AGO: Cremino a la Nociolla

FOUR YEARS AGO: Roasted Broccoli and Apple Salad with Tahini Dressing

FIVE YEARS AGO: A Different Kind of Cookie Swap

SIX YEARS AGO: Scary Good Recipes for your next Halloween

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Pumpkin Sourdough

EIGHT YEARS AGO: First Monday Favorite

NINE YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Paalak Paneer, a Farewell Post

TEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, November 2015

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Helen Fletcher’s Oatmeal Cookies

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Thai-Style Pesto with Brown Rice Pasta

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO:  A Simple Appetizer (Baked Ricotta)

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Sour Cream Sandwich Bread

SIXTEEN YEARS AGO: Pasta with Zucchini Strands and Shrimp

CORNBREAD ÆBLESKIVER

As I mentioned recently, I do love gadgets, and this pan has been sitting and waiting for too long. However, the moment I saw Karen’s post on this cool recipe, I grabbed it to play!

CORNBREAD ÆBLESKIVER
(slightly adapted from Karen’s Kitchen Stories)

140 grams (1 cup) all purpose flour
70 grams (1/2 cup) medium grind cornmeal
70 grams (1/3 cup + 1 tbs) sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
100 grams canned corn kernels
olive oil spray for the pan

Whisk together all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl, mix the wet ingredients, plus corn kernels with a fork. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, and mix until just combined.

Heat your aebleskiver pan on medium low and spray each cavity with olive oil.
Using an ice cream scoop, fill each cavity almost to the top with the batter. Cook until the bottom begins to brown. Using a thin skewer turn the aebleskiver part way and continue to cook. Be sure to push any overflow back into the wells.

After that, add a little more batter to top them off before “closing” them, moving the opening to the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until evenly golden brown and the center is cooked through. Serve right away or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: First things first, I highly recommend this cookbook if you want to expand your Æbleskiver horizons… My main modification of the recipe was cutting the sugar by a bit more than half, and using canned corn because I had some in the pantry and got lazy to scrape fresh corn off the cob. Using the pan takes a bit of practice, I filled the cavities too much in my first batch, but the second half was perfect. I still need to perfect moving the little fritters to cook the second side, but they turned out very tasty.

.

Karen, thanks so much for inspiring me to finally make something with my pan…

.

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TWO YEARS AGO: Fresh Dill and Feta Sourdough

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FOUR YEARS AGO: Passionfruit Millionaire’s Shortbread

FIVE YEARS AGO: Chai-Mango Rosette Macarons

SIX YEARS AGO: Common Table, Something New in My Life

SEVEN YEARS AGO: The Daisy, a Bread with Brioche Alter-Ego

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Pork Tenderloin, Braciole Style

NINE YEARS AGO: Raspberry Buckle

TEN YEARS AGO: Seafood Gratin for a Special Dinner

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Cooking Sous-Vide: Sweet and Spicy Asian Pork Loin

TWELVE YEARS AGO:  Farewell to a Bewitching Kitchen

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FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Goodbye L.A.

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: 7-6-5 Pork Tenderloin

BBA#10: CORNBREAD

cornbread4

With this bread, almost 25% of the challenge is completed. Ten breads down, thirty-three more to go…

Reinhart tells us that cornbread normally would not fit into a bread book, as it is not leavened by yeast. However he had to include this one because, according to him, “it is the best cornbread you will ever taste”. Since taste is such a personal thing, I tend to take statements like that with a grain of salt, but needless to say, I had high expectations for it.

The recipe is very straightforward, but you must remember to soak the cornmeal with buttermilk the day before. Which, of course, I almost forgot. Spent Friday evening with a strange feeling of something left undone. Shortly after 10pm you could see me dashing to the kitchen, screaming “cornbread! cornbread!”.   My beloved by now is used to this sort of stuff.

click for more photos and comments