The best corn bread in the world
My favorite corn bread is not sweet. No, that sugary stuff just disguises the beauty that lies within: corn! I adore corn! And all it needs is a bit of buttermilk and a little fat and salt to bring out its marvelous flavor. My recipe for cornbread is based on Valyn Perini's Everyday Cornbread. I don't know who Valyn Perini is, but I happened upon his recipe while searching for a traditional savory cornbread recipe (a harder task than it sounds).
My recipe is adjusted for the vegetarian, and those lacking a well-seasoned cast iron pan (we can't all be proper southerners).
Savory Cornbread
1. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
2. Mix together:
1 3/4 c cornmeal (or polenta)
1 t baking powder
1 t baking soda
3/4 t salt
3. Whisk together
2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
4. In an oven-proof skillet, melt 1 T butter.
5. Pour the melted butter into the egg/buttermilk mixture and mix together. Don't worry about getting all the butter out of the skillet; rub what remains around the skillet to give it a uniform cover of buttery bliss.
6. Combine the bowl of wet stuff with the bowl of dry stuff and mix just until the dry stuff is moistened.
7. Pour the mixture into the skillet. If your skillet is too small for all of it, make two batches!
8. Put the skillet in the oven and cook it 'til its done (stick a knife in the middle and see if it comes out clean, it should only take about 10-20 minutes).
