Off The Menu

Camp Cookhouse Brown Butter Cornbread

BY LINDA GARSON ow many of us upped our baking game while saying safe at home? H

Camp Cookhouse’s brown butter cornbread recipe was so popular when we published it last year that we thought it was the ideal time to revisit it for you to add some variety to your repertoire.

It was requested by a reader who had camped at Cyprus Hills and visited

Elkwater, where she discovered this delicious cornbread, and had been dreaming of it until Camp Cookhouse generously shared their recipe, making her dream come true!

Camp Cookhouse Brown Butter Cornbread Makes one 13 x 9” cake pan

2 1/3 cup (400g) cornmeal 4 cups (1 L) full fat buttermilk 2 2/3 cup (400g) All Purpose flour 2 Tbs baking powder 1 tsp baking soda About ½ of one nutmeg nut, freshly grated 1 cup (225 g) salted butter 4 eggs ½ cup brown sugar 1½ Tbs salt 1 large lime, zested

1. Whisk together the cornmeal and buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate overnight - up to a few days. When you’re ready to bake, remove from the fridge, crank your oven to 450º F (don’t use convection) and grease and sugar a 13 x 9” cake pan. 2. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and nutmeg, and set aside. 3. Place the butter in a tall, medium pot and put on high heat on your stove. Cook occasionally swirling the pot. When the

sugars are a light toasted brown colour remove from the heat and let cool - the colour will continue to darken a bit. 4. In a stand mixer with the whip attachment combine the eggs, sugar, salt, and lime zest, and add the lime juice to the buttermilk-cornmeal. Whip on high for several minutes until it is very frothy. 5. Add a touch of water and scrape the sugars that may have stuck to the bottom of the pot. Turn the mixer off, pour in the butter (make sure to get all the sugars from the butter!) and whip briefly again. Pour in the buttermilk-cornmeal and mix to combine. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined - some small lumps are fine but ensure there are no dry clumps of flour. 6. Pour into the cake pan and pop into the oven for 15 minutes - then drop the temperature to 325º F and bake for a further 20-25 minutes. 7. The cornbread is done when the centre springs back if gently pushed or if a skewer comes out clean. When done, remove from oven and immediately invert onto a tray. Allow to cool, cut and enjoy!

If there’s a dish in a restaurant in Alberta that you’d love to make at home, let us know at culinairemagazine.ca, and we’ll do our very best to track down the recipe for you!

Note: CAMP cut square pieces in half and toast on the griddle with butter, then finish with maple syrup. This cornbread freezes very well - just be sure to reheat to serve. You could also halve this recipe and bake in an 8 x 8” pan.