So much for easing myself off the Holistic Detox. But what can I say... I made it almost two weeks without chocolate and these cookies were a great way to celebrate!
My Dad has always loved malted milk. He used to buy jars of Carnation malted milk powder over in Detroit and it always seemed special because it wasn't in any of our local grocery stores. When my Dad and I went over to Detroit in the summer (when we were almost pulled in at the border for being over our limit in butter), I picked up a jar of the very same powder that we used to get growing up. I had come across a recipe or two that called for the malted milk powder and I figured one of these days I would make something with it as a treat for my Dad.
Yesterday was my parent's anniversary and they happened to be visiting us for a few days. I decided to make something that my Dad would really love (my Mom got flowers). Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops. Let's just say, they were gone by breakfast this morning. This recipe comes from my current favourite baking book, "Baking: From My Home to Yours" by Dorie Greenspan. Great book! I have also made the cake on the front cover for Gavin's Birthday and the Banana Cream Pie for my Birthday.
If you don't have access to Carnation malted milk powder, use Ovaltine, either regular or chocolate flavoured. The key to these cookies is to take them out of the oven before they look done. You want them to be very soft when you pull them from the oven.
Chocolate Malted Whopper Drops
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. malted milk powder
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1 stick plus 3 T. unsalted butter (11 tablespoons total), at room temperature
2/3 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 t. pure vanilla extract
1/4 c. whole milk (I used 5% cream rather than my 1% milk)
2 c. chocolate covered malt balls (Whoppers or Maltesers) coarsely chopped
6 oz. bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped, or 1 c. chocolate chips
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the flour, malted milk powder, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
2. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until very smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each addition. Beat in the vanilla.
3. Reduce speed to low and add half the dry ingredients, mixing just until they disappear into the batter. Mix in the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients, mixing only until they are incorporated. They batter will look more like fudge frosting then cookie dough - and that is fine. Mix in the malted milk balls and chocolate by hand with a rubber spatula.
4. Drop the dough by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between spoonfuls. Bake for 10 minutes, rotating the sheets in the oven half way through. When done, the cookies will be slightly puffed and set but soft to the touch. Let cookies rest for two minutes before using a wide metal spatula to transfer them to racks to cool to room temperature. Repeat with remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.
Makes about 30 cookies.
*With these cookies, I set the timer to 5 minutes and when it went off, I turned the baking sheet around in the oven. Then I reset the timer for another 5 minutes but watch closely. Your oven might be hot and they may need to come out before the 10 minutes is up. The actual recipe in the cookbook said to bake them 11 to 13 minutes. I did this for the first dozen cookies yesterday and they were over-done.
*Try not to eat too many of the Maltesers before you stir them into the cookie batter. Once they are baked, the candies stay chewy but melt into the cookie at the same time, so long as they are taken from the oven on time. (I can't stress this enough!)
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Black-Bean Salad with Avocado and Cilantro
Yesterday, I didn't have a clue what to eat for lunch. I threw together some Naan pizzas (my friend Tracy makes them for catering gigs in Vancouver) for Alan & the kids and I was really starting to wonder if I should just throw in the towel on my 21-day plan. All cheesy with homemade pizza sauce, mushrooms, ham and yellow peppers, they were really hard to resist.
I picked up the "Once Upon A Tart" cookbook and went straight to the salad chapter. So many salads to choose from, so long as I had all the ingredients. I started reading through the "Black-bean Salad with Avocado, Cilantro, and Jalapeno Pepper" and realized that I had a winner. I cut down on the quantities of the ingredients, opened a can of beans instead of soaking them for 24 hours, and within 15 minutes, I sat down to a lovely lunch.
Black-Bean Salad with Avocado & Cilantro
1 can black beans, rinsed thoroughly and drained very well.
1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped fine
1/3 c. red onion, chopped fine
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
1 or 2 green onions, both green & white parts, thinly chopped
1 avocado, halved, pit removed, and diced
For the vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 t. salt or to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Add some chopped jalapeno, if desired
Put all the salad ingredients except the avocado, into a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, cumin, salt & pepper in a small bowl. Add the olive oil in a thin, slow stream, whisking as you go to form an emulsion. Stir in the cilantro (and jalapeno, if using). Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine, making sure that everything is well dressed. Add the avocado and toss lightly, being careful not to mash the pieces to bits. Serve at room temperature.
*I threw the beans into the bowl after draining them in a colander for a few minutes and lots of water went into the bowl too. I moved them out of the bowl and wiped it dry and then took a piece of paper towel and ran it around and underneath the beans in the colander, trying to soak up as much water as I could. You don't want your salad to be watery so it is important to start with dry beans.
*This salad would make a nice filling for a quesadilla. Just leave out the avocado and serve it with the quesadilla. Heat a pan with a little oil in it. Place a tortilla in the warm pan and spoon some salad on top. Cover this with some old cheddar cheese and a second tortilla. Cook until the cheese begins to melt and the bottom tortilla is golden brown and flip and cook the other side. Serve with the avocado and sour cream. Why didn't I think of this yesterday?!
*I use wholewheat Naan from President's Choice. They come in packages of two and they are so convenient to have in the freezer.
I picked up the "Once Upon A Tart" cookbook and went straight to the salad chapter. So many salads to choose from, so long as I had all the ingredients. I started reading through the "Black-bean Salad with Avocado, Cilantro, and Jalapeno Pepper" and realized that I had a winner. I cut down on the quantities of the ingredients, opened a can of beans instead of soaking them for 24 hours, and within 15 minutes, I sat down to a lovely lunch.
Black-Bean Salad with Avocado & Cilantro
1 can black beans, rinsed thoroughly and drained very well.
1/2 sweet red pepper, chopped fine
1/3 c. red onion, chopped fine
1 celery stalk, chopped fine
1 or 2 green onions, both green & white parts, thinly chopped
1 avocado, halved, pit removed, and diced
For the vinaigrette:
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 t. salt or to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
1 heaping teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 c. olive oil
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
Add some chopped jalapeno, if desired
Put all the salad ingredients except the avocado, into a large bowl. Whisk together the lime juice, cumin, salt & pepper in a small bowl. Add the olive oil in a thin, slow stream, whisking as you go to form an emulsion. Stir in the cilantro (and jalapeno, if using). Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss to combine, making sure that everything is well dressed. Add the avocado and toss lightly, being careful not to mash the pieces to bits. Serve at room temperature.
*I threw the beans into the bowl after draining them in a colander for a few minutes and lots of water went into the bowl too. I moved them out of the bowl and wiped it dry and then took a piece of paper towel and ran it around and underneath the beans in the colander, trying to soak up as much water as I could. You don't want your salad to be watery so it is important to start with dry beans.
*This salad would make a nice filling for a quesadilla. Just leave out the avocado and serve it with the quesadilla. Heat a pan with a little oil in it. Place a tortilla in the warm pan and spoon some salad on top. Cover this with some old cheddar cheese and a second tortilla. Cook until the cheese begins to melt and the bottom tortilla is golden brown and flip and cook the other side. Serve with the avocado and sour cream. Why didn't I think of this yesterday?!
*I use wholewheat Naan from President's Choice. They come in packages of two and they are so convenient to have in the freezer.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Conspicuous Consumption & How to Make a Good Chicken Stock
Well, the shoe had to drop sooner or later. After having a wonderful summer and an even better fall (in regard to food), I have noticed that my favourite jeans are starting to look like floods. This hit me hard, harder than any other red flags, because of the "exact nature" of those jeans. I don't want to wear short jeans that are supposed to be long. End of story.
I really don't wish to get into all the personal details of my life here on the blog (Since when??? I can hear my sister's voice ringing in my ears.) but let's just say that I am trying to follow a 21-day Holistic Detox. If you are interested, check out the book "Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox". This cleanse is not only to shed a few pounds. This will give me more energy and help me to feel better in all sorts of ways.
I actually tried this same detox two summers ago. I lasted 7 days and I really felt good. Then we went to Harrow and the wheels on that bus came off in no time flat. This time, I am feeling more confident. I am 35 now, and with that distinction, I am feeling strong and ready for a challenge. How hard can this be with an arsenal of cookbooks to give me inspiration?
Well, here's the first problem. I only like to blog about recipes that I LOVE. I don't want anything half-ass on this blog. If I don't love it and think you will too, I don't want it on here. I have been cooking up a storm the last four days and to be honest, there isn't too much that is blog-worthy. Not yet, anyways, but I will soldier on. I am determined to find some fabulous recipes that fit the bill, both for the Holistic Detox and for after it's over, when I go back to eating everything, in moderation!
I have been making a few things of interest...
Barefoot Contessa's White Bean Soup with Fresh Rosemary
Bonnie Stern's Thai Carrot & Ginger Soup
Caramelized onions with brown rice
Roasted carrots, parsnips, red onion and sweet potatoes
Broiled salmon, chicken stir-fry
Chick-pea and Carrot Salad (see blog for recipe)
The one thing that I seem to be using a lot of is my homemade chicken stock. There are few other staples in the kitchen that I think are as essential as a good chicken stock. It's right up there with onions and garlic.
Homemade Chicken Stock
1 carcass from a roasted chicken, plus all the drippings from the pan
2 carrots, chopped roughly
3 onions, skins on, sliced in half
2 celery stalks, chopped roughly
5 or more sprigs of fresh parsley
5 whole peppercorns
Salt, optional (I don't season my stock ahead of time but feel free to do so. I do all the seasoning when I am using the stock in a recipe.)
Put all the ingredients into a large stock pot and fill not quite to the top with water. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium-low for a minimum of three hours. Skim any foamy clumps out of the stock. When the stock has cooled down to a temperature that is safe to handle, strain it through a fine sieve and pour into portion containers for the freezer. I use 2-cup and 4-cup plastic containers that I buy at a restaurant supply store. I use these over and over again and they are very handy for all food storage.
*When I use a carcass from a roasted chicken, the stock is always a rich dark colour and when it has cooled, it will have a gelatinous texture. There is so much more flavour in a stock done with roasted bones/carcass and you get the bonus of having a great dinner, too!
*When I make my stock with a carcass like this, I won't be starting it until after dinner. I simmer the stock until I am ready for bed and then turn it off. I leave the stock to sit overnight and in the morning, I either strain it right away and get it into the freezer (if it is still warm from the night before), or I reheat the stock and let it come to a boil again. Then I let it cool down again and strain it after that. This wouldn't be appropriate in a professional kitchen but it works for me. In large kitchens, stocks are often left in the huge stock pots simmering away all night (these are electric stock pots I am talking about) and then dealt with in the morning.
*If you aren't going to be having roast chicken and you would still like to make a good stock, stockpile some chicken bones and parts. I buy whole chickens from the butcher and ask him to cut up the chickens for me. I always take the backs and wings home for stock and stick them in the freezer until I am ready to make stock. I also keep any bones that I may have from de-boning pieces of chicken.
*The key to having a flavourful and rich stock is in the roasting of the bones before putting them in the water. I spread all of the bones and parts that I have collected onto a baking sheet and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. If I have space on the baking sheet, I also add my carrots, onions, and celery. By the way, a rough estimate of how much of the veggies to use is a simple ratio: 2 parts onions, 1 part each of carrots and celery. That way you can eyeball it without getting caught up in specific amounts.
With a little bit of effort, you can have a freezer filled with ready-to-go chicken stock. A stocked and organized freezer- now that is a beautiful thing!
I really don't wish to get into all the personal details of my life here on the blog (Since when??? I can hear my sister's voice ringing in my ears.) but let's just say that I am trying to follow a 21-day Holistic Detox. If you are interested, check out the book "Dr. Joshi's Holistic Detox". This cleanse is not only to shed a few pounds. This will give me more energy and help me to feel better in all sorts of ways.
I actually tried this same detox two summers ago. I lasted 7 days and I really felt good. Then we went to Harrow and the wheels on that bus came off in no time flat. This time, I am feeling more confident. I am 35 now, and with that distinction, I am feeling strong and ready for a challenge. How hard can this be with an arsenal of cookbooks to give me inspiration?
Well, here's the first problem. I only like to blog about recipes that I LOVE. I don't want anything half-ass on this blog. If I don't love it and think you will too, I don't want it on here. I have been cooking up a storm the last four days and to be honest, there isn't too much that is blog-worthy. Not yet, anyways, but I will soldier on. I am determined to find some fabulous recipes that fit the bill, both for the Holistic Detox and for after it's over, when I go back to eating everything, in moderation!
I have been making a few things of interest...
Barefoot Contessa's White Bean Soup with Fresh Rosemary
Bonnie Stern's Thai Carrot & Ginger Soup
Caramelized onions with brown rice
Roasted carrots, parsnips, red onion and sweet potatoes
Broiled salmon, chicken stir-fry
Chick-pea and Carrot Salad (see blog for recipe)
The one thing that I seem to be using a lot of is my homemade chicken stock. There are few other staples in the kitchen that I think are as essential as a good chicken stock. It's right up there with onions and garlic.
Homemade Chicken Stock
1 carcass from a roasted chicken, plus all the drippings from the pan
2 carrots, chopped roughly
3 onions, skins on, sliced in half
2 celery stalks, chopped roughly
5 or more sprigs of fresh parsley
5 whole peppercorns
Salt, optional (I don't season my stock ahead of time but feel free to do so. I do all the seasoning when I am using the stock in a recipe.)
Put all the ingredients into a large stock pot and fill not quite to the top with water. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium-low for a minimum of three hours. Skim any foamy clumps out of the stock. When the stock has cooled down to a temperature that is safe to handle, strain it through a fine sieve and pour into portion containers for the freezer. I use 2-cup and 4-cup plastic containers that I buy at a restaurant supply store. I use these over and over again and they are very handy for all food storage.
*When I use a carcass from a roasted chicken, the stock is always a rich dark colour and when it has cooled, it will have a gelatinous texture. There is so much more flavour in a stock done with roasted bones/carcass and you get the bonus of having a great dinner, too!
*When I make my stock with a carcass like this, I won't be starting it until after dinner. I simmer the stock until I am ready for bed and then turn it off. I leave the stock to sit overnight and in the morning, I either strain it right away and get it into the freezer (if it is still warm from the night before), or I reheat the stock and let it come to a boil again. Then I let it cool down again and strain it after that. This wouldn't be appropriate in a professional kitchen but it works for me. In large kitchens, stocks are often left in the huge stock pots simmering away all night (these are electric stock pots I am talking about) and then dealt with in the morning.
*If you aren't going to be having roast chicken and you would still like to make a good stock, stockpile some chicken bones and parts. I buy whole chickens from the butcher and ask him to cut up the chickens for me. I always take the backs and wings home for stock and stick them in the freezer until I am ready to make stock. I also keep any bones that I may have from de-boning pieces of chicken.
*The key to having a flavourful and rich stock is in the roasting of the bones before putting them in the water. I spread all of the bones and parts that I have collected onto a baking sheet and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes to an hour. If I have space on the baking sheet, I also add my carrots, onions, and celery. By the way, a rough estimate of how much of the veggies to use is a simple ratio: 2 parts onions, 1 part each of carrots and celery. That way you can eyeball it without getting caught up in specific amounts.
With a little bit of effort, you can have a freezer filled with ready-to-go chicken stock. A stocked and organized freezer- now that is a beautiful thing!
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
The Best Roasted Potatoes
For my birthday at the end of last month, my sister and my nephew came to visit for a few days. Lori had mentioned that part of my birthday present was a batch of homemade wontons for soup. I was thrilled and we ended up having homemade wonton soup the first night they were here.
The next night was my birthday dinner and it couldn't have been better. We braised lamb shanks in red wine and Lori did roasted potatoes in duck fat. I am sure there were veggies and even a salad to go with that, but I was totally smitten with the potatoes, and I can't remember now! The potatoes were a crispy golden on the outside and creamy (I mean really creamy!) on the inside. They were unlike even the best homemade french fry. There are no words...
Roasting potatoes in duck fat might be something that is common in France, but the thought hadn't even occurred to me until Lori said that she tried it at home recently. She had been watching a show with Anthony Bourdain and he had done potatoes in duck fat. She was inspired and as luck would have it, she had some duck fat in the freezer. The duck fat came from two cans of duck confit that I brought back from France. The duck confit was excellent that night and I sent Lori & her husband Jake home with almost a litre of fat that came out of the cans. I am glad they had the foresight to save the fat or else it would have gone into the garbage. In fact, this is how committed they were about keeping the duck fat. After living with Jake's parents for a year and half while their house was being gutted and renovated, the duck fat was one of the few foods to make it back into their freezer after the house was finished! That is impressive.
For my birthday dinner, Lori used Yukon Gold potatoes sliced into wedges. She heated up my trusty Le Crueset cast-iron frying pans and melted about 3 tablespoons or so of duck fat. Once the fat was nice and hot, she added the potatoes and let them get crispy on one side before stirring them up. Once a batch was finished, she put those potatoes into the oven and started the process over again. The potatoes were seasoned with sea salt and they disappeared quickly once we sat down for dinner.
If you are wondering where to even find duck fat, check at your local butcher shop or specialty food shop. My friend Donna mentioned that you can buy duck fat at White House Meats at the St. Lawrence market in Toronto. I am sure there are lots of places that carry it but you will need to ask for it specifically.
And one more note about these incredible potatoes. When I mentioned the duck fat to Donna and my friend Elaine, they both responded along the lines of "Oh Yeah!". Elaine recalled a dinner they had at a home in France. She said that the potatoes were cut quite small and that they were unforgettable. The smaller the potato, the more crispy goodness! Considering the two friends that I spoke to about it were both converts already, I can only imagine that you will become a believer too.
The next night was my birthday dinner and it couldn't have been better. We braised lamb shanks in red wine and Lori did roasted potatoes in duck fat. I am sure there were veggies and even a salad to go with that, but I was totally smitten with the potatoes, and I can't remember now! The potatoes were a crispy golden on the outside and creamy (I mean really creamy!) on the inside. They were unlike even the best homemade french fry. There are no words...
Roasting potatoes in duck fat might be something that is common in France, but the thought hadn't even occurred to me until Lori said that she tried it at home recently. She had been watching a show with Anthony Bourdain and he had done potatoes in duck fat. She was inspired and as luck would have it, she had some duck fat in the freezer. The duck fat came from two cans of duck confit that I brought back from France. The duck confit was excellent that night and I sent Lori & her husband Jake home with almost a litre of fat that came out of the cans. I am glad they had the foresight to save the fat or else it would have gone into the garbage. In fact, this is how committed they were about keeping the duck fat. After living with Jake's parents for a year and half while their house was being gutted and renovated, the duck fat was one of the few foods to make it back into their freezer after the house was finished! That is impressive.
For my birthday dinner, Lori used Yukon Gold potatoes sliced into wedges. She heated up my trusty Le Crueset cast-iron frying pans and melted about 3 tablespoons or so of duck fat. Once the fat was nice and hot, she added the potatoes and let them get crispy on one side before stirring them up. Once a batch was finished, she put those potatoes into the oven and started the process over again. The potatoes were seasoned with sea salt and they disappeared quickly once we sat down for dinner.
If you are wondering where to even find duck fat, check at your local butcher shop or specialty food shop. My friend Donna mentioned that you can buy duck fat at White House Meats at the St. Lawrence market in Toronto. I am sure there are lots of places that carry it but you will need to ask for it specifically.
And one more note about these incredible potatoes. When I mentioned the duck fat to Donna and my friend Elaine, they both responded along the lines of "Oh Yeah!". Elaine recalled a dinner they had at a home in France. She said that the potatoes were cut quite small and that they were unforgettable. The smaller the potato, the more crispy goodness! Considering the two friends that I spoke to about it were both converts already, I can only imagine that you will become a believer too.
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread
According to my notes, I have been making this cornbread exclusively since February '94. I know that it has been my only cornbread recipe because I really don't care to find another one, this one is that good. It comes from a cookbook by a woman named Crescent Dragonwagon. The cookbook is called "Dairy Hollow House: Soup & Bread - A Country Inn Cookbook" and the recipes are from her Arkansas country inn.
While living in Tennessee, it was a given that there would be cornbread with every dinner, no matter whose house I was eating at. Sometimes there would be leftovers and the most interesting use of these was shown to me by a friend's wonderful grandfather, who I came to know as PawPaw (you have to say it with a southern accent to get the proper pronunciation!). He would crumble the cornbread from the night before into a big glass and pour buttermilk over it. He would then sit down with a big spoon and dig in. I have a strong stomach for most things but I just couldn't bring myself to have buttermilk, cold in a glass, even if it was poured over cornbread!
The secret to this cornbread is in a few small details. Adding the baking soda to the buttermilk ahead of time makes a moister, slightly denser bread. A lot of corn breads are dry but this one has a nice "crumb" to it. I use my Le Crueset frying pan that measures 10" across the TOP of the pan. It fits perfectly in this pan, any smaller and it would run over the sides during cooking. Watch for this if you aren't sure if your pan is large enough. Make sure that the pan is good and hot and the butter is sizzling before you add the batter. I get the butter melting and then mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Don't let the butter burn but it should be bubbling, then add the batter and slip into the oven immediately. The hot pan creates a wonderful crust on the bread. You won't get the same crust if you are using a baking dish to make the bread but it will still be good. I have actually made it in a baking dish that I warmed in the oven for 10 minutes or so, melting the butter in the dish and then adding the batter. Of course, you can't get the butter really sizzling this way but if you don't have a cast iron pan, it will do.
The other night, I heated up some frozen beef barley soup that I had made a few weeks ago. I threw a pan of cornbread together and in no time, we were sitting at the table, enjoying a homemade dinner. I served it straight out of the frying pan with lots of salted butter (I love butter so much, I may be distantly related to the Barefoot Contessa). I wish.
Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread
1 c. stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1 egg
2 T. white sugar
1/4 c. sunflower oil, or other mild oil of your choice
2-4 T. butter
A 10-inch in diameter cast iron skillet, or a 8x8 inch baking dish if you don't have a skillet
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. In a second bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, and the oil; then whisk in the buttermilk & baking soda.
4. Put the skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom and sides.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and quickly stir together, using only as many strokes as needed to combine. Scrape the batter into the hot, buttery skillet. Immediately put the skillet in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
* Feel free to add different ingredients to this basic recipe. Cheese, corn, red peppers, green onions, etc. Watch your pan size if you are adding anything more to the recipe.
While living in Tennessee, it was a given that there would be cornbread with every dinner, no matter whose house I was eating at. Sometimes there would be leftovers and the most interesting use of these was shown to me by a friend's wonderful grandfather, who I came to know as PawPaw (you have to say it with a southern accent to get the proper pronunciation!). He would crumble the cornbread from the night before into a big glass and pour buttermilk over it. He would then sit down with a big spoon and dig in. I have a strong stomach for most things but I just couldn't bring myself to have buttermilk, cold in a glass, even if it was poured over cornbread!
The secret to this cornbread is in a few small details. Adding the baking soda to the buttermilk ahead of time makes a moister, slightly denser bread. A lot of corn breads are dry but this one has a nice "crumb" to it. I use my Le Crueset frying pan that measures 10" across the TOP of the pan. It fits perfectly in this pan, any smaller and it would run over the sides during cooking. Watch for this if you aren't sure if your pan is large enough. Make sure that the pan is good and hot and the butter is sizzling before you add the batter. I get the butter melting and then mix the wet and dry ingredients together. Don't let the butter burn but it should be bubbling, then add the batter and slip into the oven immediately. The hot pan creates a wonderful crust on the bread. You won't get the same crust if you are using a baking dish to make the bread but it will still be good. I have actually made it in a baking dish that I warmed in the oven for 10 minutes or so, melting the butter in the dish and then adding the batter. Of course, you can't get the butter really sizzling this way but if you don't have a cast iron pan, it will do.
The other night, I heated up some frozen beef barley soup that I had made a few weeks ago. I threw a pan of cornbread together and in no time, we were sitting at the table, enjoying a homemade dinner. I served it straight out of the frying pan with lots of salted butter (I love butter so much, I may be distantly related to the Barefoot Contessa). I wish.
Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk Cornbread
1 c. stone-ground yellow cornmeal
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 T. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. baking soda
1 1/4 c. buttermilk
1 egg
2 T. white sugar
1/4 c. sunflower oil, or other mild oil of your choice
2-4 T. butter
A 10-inch in diameter cast iron skillet, or a 8x8 inch baking dish if you don't have a skillet
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a small bowl, stir the baking soda into the buttermilk. In a second bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, and the oil; then whisk in the buttermilk & baking soda.
4. Put the skillet over medium-high heat, add the butter, and heat until the butter melts and is just starting to sizzle. Tilt the pan to coat the bottom and sides.
5. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and quickly stir together, using only as many strokes as needed to combine. Scrape the batter into the hot, buttery skillet. Immediately put the skillet in the oven and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve.
* Feel free to add different ingredients to this basic recipe. Cheese, corn, red peppers, green onions, etc. Watch your pan size if you are adding anything more to the recipe.
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