The Cornbread Gospels, redesigned by Annica Anderson

illustrations by

ANDREA WISNEWSKI design by

ANNICA ANDERSON Workman Publishing • New York

table of contents 1

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE Southern Cornbreads

CHAPTER TWO Northern Cornbreads

CHAPTER THREE Southwestern Cornbreads

table of contents

89 117 158

CHAPTER FOUR Global Cornbreads

CHAPTER FIVE Babycakes

CHAPTER SIX Yeasted Cornbreads

183 199

CHAPTER SEVEN Soulful Spoonbreads

CHAPTER EIGHT Both Sides Now

235

CHAPTER NINE Crisped Cornbreads

255

CHAPTER TEN Deja Food

287

CHAPTER ELEVEN Great Go-Withs

327

CHAPTER TWELVE Sweet Somethings

345

PANTRY

So much are cornbread and the region intertwined that I don’t know of a single narrative that takes place in the South, fiction or non, in which you don’t come across characters eating, making, serving, or referencing cornbread at least once. Before we go further, in the interest of full disclosure, my vantage point is this: I was born Yankee, but I spent most of my teenage and adult life in the South. Thus, I love many cornbreads, some Southern and some North-

Chapter Chapter One One

Southern Southern Cornbreads Cornbreads Soul Soul in in a a Skillet Skillet

ern. Too, though there are general differences between the two (see pages 34-36), the delicious, contrary cornbread world in filled with exceptions to the rule. But I can say with certainty that no part of America cares more about cornbread than the South. Cornbread is the South’s daily bread, or at least it was until the recent past. And, though it was everyday fare, it was also part of every important Southern occasion: holidays, church picnics, dinners on the grounds, family reunions — cornbread was always present. (Weddings are the only general exception to this rule, though many a contemporary wedding brunch is graced by a baked casserole of cheese grits or a

spoonbread. But other than this, or at weddings during very impoverished Nowhere in America are people as passionate, proud, and particular about cornbread as in the South. And though Southerners often disagree region to region as to exactly what constitutes good cornbread,

they are generally adamant on two points: 1) Yankees just can’t, cannot, make good cornbread, and 2) their mother/grandmother makes or made the very best cornbread ever. At times Southerners can get downright belligerent. Mark Twain did say, (in)famously: “Perhaps no bread in the world is quite as good as Southern corn bread and perhaps no bread in the world is quite so bad as the Northern imitation of it.”

times, or at hippie/alternative nuptials, no cornbread.) The ever-present cornbread might be stripped-down and simple, like Truman Capote’s Family’s (page 13), Sylvia’s Ozark (page 18), or Ronni’s Appalachian (page 21); or it might rise to great heights

(elaborate,

soufflé-like

spoonbreads, see pages 183-198). But look on the table, and in some form, there it is.

ingredients

DAIRY HOLLOW HOUSE SKILLET-SIZZLED CORNBREAD

vegetable oil cooking spray 1 cup unbleached white flour 1 cup stone-ground yellow cornmeal method

1 tablespoon baking powder serves:

wedges

15 minutes cook time: 20 minutes preheat: 375°F

1/4 teaspoon salt

This is the cornbread I served when I

1 1/4 cups buttermilk

prep time:

Dinner at the Inn:

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Dairy Hollow House Days

owned and ran Dairy Hollow House; it oven-roasted shiitake mushrooms with garlic & coarse salt pumpkin bisque or gumbo Breadbasket: daily hollow house skillet-sizzled cornbread, glazed maple oatmeal cornmeal rolls (page 176), butter, blackberry preserves

the first Southern food I ever learned to fix and the one that started me on my cornbread journey. I learned how to make it in the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 10-inch castiron skillet with oil and set aside.

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

was its single most requested recipe. It is

In a smaller bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. Whisk in the sugar, egg,

1 egg

and the 1/4 cup oil. 1/4 cup mild vegetable oil

2 tablespoons butter, or mild

Put the prepared skillet over medium heat, add the butter, and heat until the

vegetable oil

butter melts and is just starting to sizzle.

York, in 1969, when I was very young and

Tilt the pan to coat the sides and bottom.

living in a brownstone with seven other people. Viola, the soft-spoken lady friend

slaw of carrots and red & green

2 tablespoons sugar

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry

of a kind neighbor, taught it to me. Vio-

and combine them quickly, using as few

la was from Georgia, and it was she who

strokes as possible. Scrape the batter into

roasted chicken, herb-stuffed trout,

initiated me into baking cornbread in an

the prepared pan and bake the cornbread

or trio of stuffed vegetables

already-hot skillet. I’ve served this corn-

until it is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

bread to a president (Bill Clinton) and a

Let cool for a few moments, and slice into

princess (Princess Elizabeth of Yugoslavia).

wedges to serve.

cabbage, with curried vinaigrette

roasted potatoes, carrots, & onions slow-cooked green beans with cherry tomatoes & olive oil chocolate torte, or mixed sorbets

Countless people and told me it’s become their house cornbread and signature dish -- the one they take to potlucks and serve to company. While I love cornbreads of all kinds, I come back to this one over, and over, again.

one: southern cornbreads

ingredients

TRUMAN CAPOTE’S FAMILY’S CORNBREAD serves:

method

prep time:

15 minutes cook time: 20-25 minutes preheat: 450°F

1 t sugar

the grind on

bread—not sweet, not fancy but for its two

stone ground

because of that, it has a purity that is hard to beat, as well as a winning, light texture.

1 t salt

Everything about this straight-up corn-

not far from sustenance. For that, maybe

2 eggs 2 c buttermilk

wedges

eggs—points to it being an early creation,

1 T butter or bacon drippings

or drippings in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, and place it in the oven.

1 t baking soda 2 c stone-ground white cornmeal

Combine the eggs and buttermilk in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisking

You’ll see that I call for stone-ground

together well with a fork.

cornmeal throughout this book. Unless I specify a particular grind,

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the butter

In a medium bowl, combine the sugar,

such as fine or coarse, go ahead and

salt, baking soda, and cornmeal, stirring

This is adapted from the recipe of Sook

use standard, medium-grind “stone-

well to combine.

Faulk, who gave it, and other family rec-

ground cornmeal.” And do be sure it’s

ipes, to her niece Marie Rudisill (Truman

stone-ground, which is far, far better

Capote’s aunt) in 1946, with “the under-

than degerminated, mass-produced,

standing that [she] would share them

steel-ground cornmeal; cornbread

with Truman Capote, [her] sister’s child,

just isn’t its wholesome, hearty,

who had been brought up in Sook’s home-

delightfully gritty self without it.

Stir the egg mixture into the cornmeal mixture, beating just until the dry ingredients are moistened, no more.

Pull the skillet from the oven. It should be good and hot, with the fat sizzling. Swirl the pan to coat it. Quickly transfer

town, Monroeville, Alabama.”

the batter to the hot skillet and return the skillet to the oven.

Bake until browned and pulling away from the skillet, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve, hot, in wedges from the pan.

one: southern cornbreads

ingredients

“PERFECT” NEW SOUTHSTYLE CORNBREAD serves:

vegetable oil cooking spray 1 T butter 1 c stone-ground yellow cornmeal

thin wedges

method

prep time:

15 minutes cook time: 20 minutes preheat: 450°F

1/3 c boiling water

1 t sugar

cast-iron skillet with the oil, add the but-

1/2 t salt 1 t baking powder Pam Anderson was at one time the exec-

I’ve adapted her favorite recipe here. Like

utive editor of Cook’s Illustrated, the mag-

a spoon bread, it calls for saturating the

azine that fanatically tests every recipe,

cornmeal with boiling water before mix-

and every assumption about that recipe,

ing it into a very simple batter. The meth-

countless times. In 1998, she published a

od gives this bread the simple, straight-up

book called The Perfect Recipe. I was curious

wholesomeness of a pure Southern corn-

to see her take on cornbread, since she’s

bread, but with a moister crumb.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Spray a 10-inch ter, and place the skillet in the oven.

Place 1/3 c of the cornmeal in a small, heat-proof bowl and pour the boiling wa-

1/4 t baking soda

ter over it, stirring well with a fork. 3/4 c buttermilk

1 egg

Combine the remaining 2/3 c cornmeal with the sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl.

Whisk the buttermilk into the moistened

tried using every possible variety of corn-

cornmeal, then add the egg, beating well.

meal, a wide range of fats and cooking

Combine the wet and dry mixtures, stir-

methods, and liquids from sour cream to

ring until not quite blended.

sweet milk to buttermilk.

Take the by-now-very-hot skillet from the oven and pour the melted butter from the skillet into the batter. Stir a few times, until the ingredients are blended, and pour the batter into the hot buttery skillet.

Immediately return the skillet to the oven. Bake the cornbread until it is golden and quite crusty, about 20 minutes. It will pull away from the edges of the skillet more than is usual. Turn the cornbread out on a rack, let it cool for 5 minutes, and then serve, still warm.

one: southern cornbreads

is gluten, which traps the air bubbles creat-

So why use cornmeal in a yeast-raised

ed as the dough is made, that provides the

bread in the first place? Why not just let

structural support and classic texture for

cornbreads be quick and wheat breads be

yeast-risen bread. Since corn doesn’t have

yeasty? Because the addition of cornmeal

any gluten, a 100-percent cornmeal corn-

to a yeast bread dough does something

bread cannot be leavened with yeast.

wonderful. That characteristic toothsome,

So, can one make a good yeast-risen corn-

Chapter Chapter Six Six

yeasted yeasted Cornbreads Cornbreads getting getting a a rise rise out out of of ‘em ‘em

bread? Yes. How? First of all, expand your definition of cornbread. Know that a yeasted cornbread will not be “cornbread” as such -- not the quick, corn-dominant

pleasing, irresistable grit makes you feel, to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, that there’s a there when you bit into a slice. No one wants a yeast bread that is leaden. But substantial, even dense, may be another matter. Not everyone feels that “light”

breads to which most of

this book is devoted. Rather,

be-all

and

end-all of bread. I

yeast-raised cornbreads are

love hearty, hefty,

multigrain breads containing

soulful multigrain

cornmeal. Once yeast enters

breads, whether I

the picture, wheat or spelt

the

purchase

them

There is perhaps one point of agrement defining most of the cornbreads

flour, unbleached or whole, must always be

in previous chapters -- whether from north, south, east, west, or some-

added to cornmeal if you want any kind of

where in between: They are either quick breads, raised with baking pow-

rise. And sometimes a little extra gluten is

der or baking soda, or altogether unleavened (such as tortillas, pones, and arepas). So

needed, too, in the form of a fine, slightly

That’s why cornmeal in yeast-risen breads

what are we to make of yeast-risen cornbread, a seeming oxymoron? Wheat, not corn, is

granular powder called gluten flour or vital

can be so surprisingly delicious. It makes

the near-universal flour grain for yeast-risen breads, and there’s a good reason for that:

wheat gluten; it helps give the yeast an ad-

for breads that are rich and diverse in fla-

gluten. This is the elastic, springy substance created when two wheat proteins are acti-

ditional structural boost.

cor and texture: a wholesome cornucopia

vated by the addition of liquid and developed by the action of kneading and stirring. It

make them myself; it is the rare white bread that really does it for me.

in every bite.

MASA BREAD

a sheet of wax paper and then a towel, so the bread can rise a third and final time.

serves:

1 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” loaf prep time: 25 minutes rise time: 2 hours cook time: 35-40 minutes preheat: 400°F

(The cornmeal keeps the wax paper from sticking to the dough.)

Let the dough rise until doubled in

this third rise, preheat the oven to 400°F.

bulk, 1 hour. Punch it down, and let

Let the dough continue to rise until it

it rise a second time until it is again ingredients

about 2 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 1/2 c unbleached white flour 1 c masa, preferably white masa para tortillas 1 T salt 2 1/4 t active dry yeast

with the oil, then sprinkle the corn-

ond, smaller bowl, combine the yeast

meal inside and shake it around

and 1/2 cup of the warm water, and let

(you’re flouring the pan, except

stand until bubbly, about 10 minutes.

with cornmeal instead of flour). Tap

2 T butter, at room temperature vegetable oil cooking spray about 3 T stone-ground white cornmeal

to incorporate.

Begin kneading. While this is a moist dough, a bit sticky, you don’t want it too wet. Add more whole wheat flour as needed, somewhere between 2 tablespoons and 1/3 cup, to achieve this sticky, barely kneadable dough. Transfer the dough to an oil-sprayed bowl

dough. (If it does sag just a bit, let it rise uncovered for a few more minutes.)

tinue baking until the loaf is adeep, earthy brown, speckled with its white dusting of

per plate, flexible cutting surface,

conrmeal, about 20 minutes longer.

or piece of wax paper.

After the dough’s second rise is complete, turn it out into the loaf pan. As mentioned, it will be a bit sticky; you won’t really form it into a loaf as such, rather it will

Put the loaf in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 325°F and con-

out any excess cornmeal onto a pa-

Add the yeast mixture to the flours water, the brown sugar, and butter. Stir

1/4 c dark brown sugar

the wax paper, trying not to deflate the Spray an 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inch loaf pan

masa, and salt in a large bowl. In a sec-

with the remaining 1 1/2 cups warm

2 c warm water

another 20 minutes or so. Carefully remove

an hour. Punch down a second time.

Combine the whole wheat flour (start with the 2 1/2 cups), unbleached flour,

is rounding up against the wax paper,

high and full of itself, 45 minutes to

method

When the dough is 15 to 20 minutes into

Let the loaf cool in its pan on a rack for about 10 minutes, then turn it out of the pan to continue cooling. Try to wait until it’s warm, not hot, before cutting into it, because the slices will tear otherwise.

spread out into the pan somewhat. Sprinkle the excess cornmeal over the top of the loaf and cover it with

and set, covered in a warm place.

six: yeasted cornbreads

162

GLORIOUS YEAST-RISEN SAMBUCA CORNBREAD A LA CAROL FIELD serves:

This eggy, sweet cornmeal bread -- scented

rounded loaf

prep time:

25 minutes rise time: 5 hours cook time: 50-60 minutes preheat: 375°F ingredients

2 1/4 t active dry yeast

After the sponge’s 2-hour rise, beat

it’s a pleasure to work with, smooth

with anise -- is adapted from a recipe by

in the cornmeal and sugar. Drain

and voluptuous.

Carol Field, a wondeful baker and an au-

the raisins and add any residual liq-

thority on Italian cuisine. I’ve added some

uid from the raisins to the sponge,

anise seeds and golden raisins. The result

along with the anise seeds, salt, and

is purely wondeful, ideal for breakfast -- or

eggs. Work in the butter, and finally

even for dessert, with vanilla ice cream.

the drained soaked raisins.

1/4 warm water method

2 T milk

1 c unbleached white flour, plus

Combine the yeast, warm water, and milk and foamy, 5 to 8 minutes. Then beat in

1/4 c Sambuca (anise liqueur)

the unbleached white flour, making a thick sponge. Cover the bowl tightly with

1/3 c golden raisins

plastic wrap and let the dough rise in 1 c stone-ground yellow cornmeal 3/4 c sugar 1 to 2 T anise seeds 3/4 t salt

a warm place for about 2 hours.

On a floured board, using as much additional flour as you need to get

in a medium bowl, and proof it until nice

extra for kneading

the dough just unsticky enough to be kneadable, knead the dough until it is satiny smooth, 6 to 8 minutes. Like most eggy doughs,

Spray a deep, rounded 6-to-8-cup casserole dish with oil. Transfer the dough into it, cover with a clean cloth, and let rise in a cozy warm place until doubled in bulk, 2 to 3 hours.

Toward the end of the rise, preheat the oven to 375°F. When the oven has reached temperature and the bread has risen, brush the bread gently with the rmaining tablespoon of Sambuca, and pop it in the oven. Let this fragrant rounded moon of a bread bake for 50 minutes to an hour. Set it, in its baking dish, on a rack to cool for about 30 minutes, then turn it out onto

Meanwhile, combine 3 T of the Sambuca

the rack to finish cooling.

with the raisins in a small bowl and let the raisins plump in the liqueur. Stir once in a while to distribute everything.

3 eggs 1/3 c butter, at room temperature vegetable oil cooking spray

six: yeasted cornbreads

164

cast iron: myths & realities

“CAST IRON HEATS REALLY EVENLY.” THE THEORY: Searing steaks and frying

for at least 10 minutes or so, rotating

potatoes requires high, even heat. Cast

it every once in a while. Alternatively,

“CAST IRON IS DIFFICULT

iron is great at searing steaks, so it must

heat it up in a hot oven for 20 to 30 min-

TO MAINTAIN.”

be great at heating evenly, right?

utes (but remember to use a potholder or dish towel!)

THE THEORY: Cast iron is a material that

THE REALITY: Cast iron is tough as nails!

THE REALITY: Actually, cast iron is terrible

can rust, chip, or crack easily. Buying a

There’s a reason why there are 75-year-

at heating evenly. The thermal conductiv-

The other advantage is its high emissivi-

cast iron skillet is like adopting a new-

old cast iron pans kicking around at yard

ity—the measure of a material’s ability

ty—that is, its tendency to expel a lot of

born baby and a puppy at the same time.

sales and antique shops. The stuff is built

to transfer heat from one part to anoth-

heat energy from its surface in the form of

You’re going to have to pamper it through

to last and it’s very difficult to completely

er—is around a third to a quarter that of

radiation. Stainless steel has an emissivity

the early stages of its life, and be gentle

ruin it. Most new pans even come pre-sea-

a material like aluminum. What does this

of around .07. Even when it’s extremely

when you store it -- that seasoning can

soned, which means that the hard part is

mean? Throw a cast iron skillet on a burn-

hot, you can put your hand close to it and

chip off!

already done for you and you’re ready to

er and you end up forming very clear hot

not feel a thing. Only the food directly in

start cooking right away.

spots right on top of where the flames are,

contact with it is heating up in any way.

while the rest of the pan remains relative-

Cast iron, on the other hand, has a whop-

ly cool.

ping .64 emissivity rating, which means

And as for storing it? If your seasoning is built up in a nice thin, even layer like it should be, then don’t worry. It ain’t gon-

The main advantage of cast iron is that it

na chip off. I store my cast iron pans nest-

has very high volumetric heat capacity,

ed directly in each other. Guess how many

which means that once it’s hot, it stays

times I’ve chipped their seasoning? Try

hot. This is vitally important when sear-

doing that to your non-stick skillet with-

ing meat. To really heat cast iron evenly,

out damaging the surface.

place it over a burner and let it preheat

that when you’re cooking in it, you’re not just cooking the surface in contact with the metal, but you’re cooking a good deal of food above it as well. This makes it ideal for things like making hash or pan roasting chicken and vegetables.

“MY WELL-SEASONED CAST-

IRON PAN IS AS NON-STICK AS ANY NON-STICK PAN OUT THERE.”

“YOU SHOULD NEVER WASH YOUR CASTIRON PAN WITH SOAP.”

THE THEORY: The better you sea-

THE THEORY: Seasoning is a thin layer of

So you occasionally see flakes of black

son your cast iron, the more non-

oil that coats the inside of your skillet.

stuff chip out of the pan as you cook in

stick it becomes. Perfectly well-sea-

Soap is designed to remove oil, therefore

soned cast iron should be perfectly

soap will damage your seasoning.

non-stick.

“DON’T USE METAL UTENSILS ON YOUR

it? It’s possible that’s seasoning, but un-

CAST-IRON PAN!”

likely. In order to get my cast iron pan’s

THE REALITY: Seasoning is actually not a

THE THEORY: The seasoning in cast iron

THE REALITY: Your cast iron pan

thin layer of oil, it’s a thin layer of polym-

pans is delicate and can easily flake out

(and mine) may be really really real-

erized oil, a key distinction. In a properly

or chip if you use metal. Stick to wood or

ly non-stick -- non-stick enough that

seasoned cast iron pan, one that has been

nylon utensils.

you can make an omelet in it or fry

rubbed with oil and heated repeatedly,

an egg with no problem -- but let’s

the oil has already broken down into a

get serious here. It’s not anywhere

plastic-like substance that has bonded

near as non-stick as, say, Teflon, a

to the surface of the metal. This is what

material so non-stick that we had to

gives well-seasoned cast iron its non-stick

develop new technologies just to get

properties, and as the material is no lon-

it to bond to the bottom of a pan.

ger actually an oil, the surfactants in dish

That said, so long as your cast iron pan is well seasoned and you make

soap should not affect it. Go ahead and soap it up and scrub it out.

sure to pre-heat it well before add-

The one thing you shouldn’t do? Let it

ing any food, you should have no

soak in the sink. Try to minimize the time

problems whatsoever with sticking.

it takes from when you start cleaning to when you dry and re-season your pan. If that means letting it sit on the stovetop until dinner is done, so be it.

THE REALITY: The seasoning in cast iron is actually remarkably resilient. It’s not just stuck to the surface like tape, it’s actually chemically bonded to the metal. Scrape away with a metal spatula and unless you’re actually gouging out the surface of the metal, you should be able to continue cooking in it with no issue.

seasoning to flake off, I had to store it in the oven for a month’s-worth of heating and drying cycles without re-seasoning it before I started to see some scaling. More likely, those flakes of black stuff are probably carbonized bits of food that were stuck to the surface of the pan because you refused to scrub them out with soap last time you cooked.

7 6

“NEVER COOK ACIDIC FOODS IN CAST IRON.” THE THEORY: Acidic food can react with

chance that there are spots of bare metal

the metal, causing it to leech into your

and these can indeed interact with acidic

“MODERN CAST IRON IS JUST AS GOOD AS OLD CAST

food, giving you an off-flavor and poten-

ingredients in your food.

IRON. IT’S ALL THE SAME MATERIAL, AFTER ALL.”

tially killing you slowly.

THE THEORY: Metal is metal, cast iron

By the 1950s, as production scaled up and

THE REALITY: In a well-seasoned cast iron

long-simmered acidic things, particularly

is cast iron, the new stuff is no differ-

was streamlined, this final polishing step

pan, the food in the pan should only be

tomato sauce. On the other hand, a little

ent than the old Wagner and Griswold

was dropped from the process. The result?

coming in contact with the layer of po-

acid is not going to hurt it. I deglaze my

pans from early 20th century that

Modern cast iron retains that bumpy,

lymerized oil in the pan, not the metal

pan with wine after pan-roasting chick-

people fetishize.

pebbly surface.

itself. So in a perfect world, this should

en all the time. A short simmer won’t

THE REALITY: The material may be the

The difference is more minor than you

not be a problem. But none of us are per-

harm your food, your pan, or your health

same, but the production methods have

may think. So long as you’ve seasoned

fect and neither are our pans. No matter

in any way.

changed. In the old days, cast iron pans

your pan properly, both vintage and mod-

were produced by casting in sand-based

ern cast iron should take on a nice non-

molds, then polishing the resulting peb-

stick surface, but your modern cast iron

bly surfaces until smooth. Vintage cast

will never be quite as non-stick as the vin-

iron tends to have a satiny smooth finish.

tage stuff.

how well you season, there’s still a good

For this reason, it’s a good idea to avoid

Chapter Chapter twelve twelve

sweet sweet somethings somethings cornbreadcornbread& & cornmeal-based cornmeal-based desserts desserts

Now, though I am happy to finish many meals with fruit, sorbet, or something calorically reasonable, when I really want dessert, I want dessert. Not a sweet nothing, a definitive sweet something. That’s where cornmeal comes in. Its distinctive gritty texture adds a something-ness to many desserts. It fills out simple sweetness into more, giving complex texture to cakes like Very Lemony Cornmeal Pound Cake (page 339) and Miss Kay’s Dark Secret Cornmeal Cake (page 332), a rich density to bread puddings like Bourbon-Banana Cornbread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce (page 334) and a warm hominess to fruit desserts like Apple Golden-Brown Betty (page 330). So I’m pushing the envelope in this chapter. No, these aren’t strictly cornbreads: Some are cakes that contain cornmeal, others are puddings that integrate stale cornbread thirsty for sweet, creamy custard. They are here

“All’s well that ends with a good meal.” So the late children’s book writer Arnold Lobel concluded one of the tales in Fables. I agree. And, to me a good meal, most of the time, ends with a good dessert. No, not

every meal; no, not every night — but if you have a sweet tooth (I understand there are three or four human beings on the face of the planet who do not), satisfying it deeply and truly is one of the pleasures of a full life.

because, well, just because … I like them, and I think you will too. We’ve almost ended out time together, and all’s well that ends with a good dessert.

BUTTERMILK CORNBREAD PUDDING WITH APRICOTS & LEMON serves:

30 minutes cook time: 40-45 minutes preheat: 350°F

ingredients

prep time:

method

vegetable oil cooking spray 2 or 3 slices slightly stale not-toosweet cornbread, in coarse crumbs

Whenever you use grated lemon zest,

preferably unsulphured

or any other citrus, in a recipe, use organic fruit. Because it’s assumed that the peels of citrus fruits are not eaten, conventionally grown citruses are

2 T butter, at room temperature

forbidden for edible-skinned fruits. These make the fruits last longer, but

to 350°F.

you like. Scatter the almonds atop that,

4 eggs 2 egg yolks 1 T unbleached white flour 2 3/4 c buttermilk

if using.

Scatter the cornbread crumbs and

Pour enough hot water into the larger pan to reach a little more than halfway

the butter and sugar and buzz

up the sides of the smaller pan.

until smooth, pausing to scrape

eater: These chemicals are toxic. However, a lack of fungicide necessarily means that an organic lemon will not keep as long as a sprayed one. Refrigerate your organics at home,

Bake until the pudding is almost but not

the eggs, egg yolks, flour, butter-

quite set in the center, 40 to 45 minutes.

milk, sour cream, salt, vanilla,

It should still be a bit wiggly; you should

and lemon zest. Pour this mix-

wonder whetehr or not it is done (it is).

ture over the cornbread and let it

Remove both pans from the oven (very

stand, covered with plastic wrap,

carefully, because of the hot water bath),

for 30 minutes.

and then remove the pudding pan from

what’s good for the fruit’s storage capabilities is not what good for the

Place the baking dish in a larger high-sided pan, and place both pans in the oven.

In a food processor, combine

the sides of the bowl. Beat in 3/4 c sugar

legally permitted to have pesticide, fungicide, and waxes in quantities

Sprinkle the nutmeg over the entire pudding, using as much or as little as

baking dish.

1/2 c finely diced dried apricots (12 to 15 apricot halves),

dish with oil. Preheat the oven

apricot pieces in the prepared

(about 1 to 1 1/2 c, crumbled)

when life hands you lemons

Spray an 8-inch square baking

the hot water. Cool to room temperature

1/2 c sour cream or reduced-fat

on a wire rack, then cover with plastic

(not non-fat) sour cream

wrap and refrigerate. 1/8 t salt

Serve chilled.

2 t pure vanilla extract finely grated zest of 2 lemons, preferably organic

and be sure to use them as soon as possible, before mold sets in.

1/2 to 1 t freshly grated nutmeg 1/2 c finely chopped almonds (optional)

twelve: sweet somethings

329

APPLE GOLDENBROWN BETTY

serves:

6–8

prep time:

25 minutes 35-40 minutes preheat: 375°F cook time:

method

fresh cranberries to the apple slices for

part of the crumb topping comes from

bright bursts of flavor. Any leftovers can

low 8 1/2 by 11 inch glass or enamel

the bottom of the prepared dish. Then

cornbread. A homey dessert for fall, it will

be reheated, but it’s also good cold.

baking dish with oil. Set aside.

scatter half the prepared apples over

perfume the entire house as it bakes.

If you are using a very sweet cornbread,

Eat it hot with ice cream, for dessert; or

cut the sweetening back by a tablespoon

cold, for breakfast, with plain yogurt. It

or two. If, on the other hand, your crumbs

can be made with pears instead of, or in

are less sweet, add an extra tablespoon or

addition to, apples; or add a handful of

two of apple juice concentrate.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray a shal-

Classic betty gets even better when all or

the crumb mixture. Pour the apple

Toss together the crumbs, sugars, and

juice concentrate over the apples in the

spices in a medium bowl. Set aside.

dish, then scatter on a layer of about Place the apple slices in a second me-

half of the remaining crumb mix-

dium bowl. Squeeze the lemons over

ture. Dot about half the butter across

the apples, with a strainer set over the

this layer. Top with the remaining ap-

bowl to catch the seeds. Toss the apples

ple slices, followed by the remaining

well to distribute the juice.

crumbs. Dot the remaining butter over

ingredients

vegetable oil cooking spray 1 1/2 c dry, stale cornbread crumbs, finely crumbled

the top. 7-8 apples (about 3 lbs, Rome, Empire, Cortland, Greening, Braeburn, Golden Delicious, or a combination), peeled, cored, and sliced in 1/3” thick wedges

1/2 c brown sugar 1/4 c white sugar

1/4 t ground allspice 1/4 t ground ginger 1/8 t ground cloves

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the apples are quite tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil from the dish, crank the heat up

2 lemons, halved 1 1/4 t ground cinnamon

Sprinkle 2 T of the crumb mixture on

to 400°F, and let the dish bake until

1/3 c frozen apple juice

the top crumbs are deeply golden and

concentrate, thawed

crisp, about 10 minutes more. Serve,

1/2 c (1 stick) butter, chilled

warm but not hot, with a dollop of the creamy accompaniment of your choice.

accompaniments: ice cream, custard sauce, plain yogurt, or whipped cream

a few gratings fresh nutmeg

twelve: sweet somethings

331

MISS KAY’S DARK SECRET CORNMEAL CAKE ingredients serves:

12 squares prep time: 15-20 minutes cook time: 40-45 minutes preheat: 350°F

vegetable oil cooking spray 1 1/4 c unbleached white flour

Here is a truly wonderful quick cake,

Amazingly, this cake is eggless. If you’ve

with an elusive—indeed, addictive—quali-

been looking for a cake batter the bowl

ty. What makes it transcendent? A secret

of which your kids can lick with impu-

ingredient: cocoa. This isn’t a chocolate

nity (as in the pre-possible-salmonella-in-

cake, mind you; instead, in the mysteri-

eggs days), this is it. And the dairy ingre-

ous synergy that makes cooking ever-sur-

dients can easily be replaced with vegan

prising, the cocoa quietly melds the spices

counterparts. More great news: It can

and fruit into what may be one of the best

easily be halved, making a perfect 9-inch

speedy cakes I know, taught to me by my

round cake.

1/4 c stone-ground yellow cornmeal 1 c sugar 2 T unsweetened cocoa

It has been adapted, I think improved, by the cornmeals’ crunchy graininess. When I say quick and speedy: get familiar with this recipe, and you can knock it

1/2 t salt

Sift together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nut-

3/4 t gound cinnamon 1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg

meg, and allspice into a large bowl.

1/4 t ground allspice

Whisk well.

1 c unsweetened applesauce 1/2 c buttermilk

Combine the applesauce, buttermilk, and melted butter in a medium bowl.

Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture, using as few strokes as possible. Stir in the

1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, melted, or

raisins and nuts, if using, with a few ad-

mild vegetable oil

ditional strokes, then transfer the batter

out in 15 to 20 minutes, plus baking time. Great for drop-ins or unexpected compa-

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray an 8-by-11 inch baking dish with oil, and set aside.

1 t baking soda

beloved early culinary mentor, Miss Kay, oh, my gosh, nearly forty-five years ago.

method

2/3 c raisins

to the pan.

ny, and you probably have everything you

optional:

need on hand. SErve it, warm, with freshly

1/2 c chopped toasted walnuts

minutes. Dust with sifted confectioners’

brewed coffee or a tall glass of cold milk.

confectioners’ sugar, for sifting

sugar, if you like, and serve warm.

twelve: sweet somethings

Bake until the cake tests clean, 40 to 45

333