I love regional cuisine recipe pamphlets. I have one from Monument Valley filled with Native American dishes, one or two from Ireland, Scotland, and Bavaria. But the one I use the most is “Southern Cookbook, ‘250 Fine Old Recipes.’”
I got it in Memphis, Tennessee at A Schwab drug store, on Beale Street, in the early 1990s. From it I’ve made beaten biscuits, pecan pralines and dumplings (as in Chicken and…). But my favorite recipe in this book is also my favorite cornbread recipe.
The basic recipe is better tasting than Jiffy — but it will take a few minutes longer.
Here it is (with a few adaptations):
Cornbread
1 cup sifted flour
1/8 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup yellow cornmeal (or any cornmeal — I use some local, crunchy stuff)
1 cup buttermilk (or heavy cream or crème fraîche, or half-and-half)
1 egg, well beaten
6 t lard, butter, bacon fat (choose your fat)
Preheat the oven to 425. Put 6 T of your desired fat into a well-seasoned cast iron pan. (Or sub an 8”x8” glass brownie pan) and put the pan in the oven to melt the fat. When melted, swirl the melted fat around to coat the pan.*
Blend the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl. Mix in the cornmeal.
In a separate bowl, quickly blend the beaten egg, dairy product, and melted fat. (You mix it quickly so the hot fat doesn’t scramble the egg)
Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add the wet mixture. Mix until just smooth. Do not overmix. Turn Into your hot pan, spreading the batter to the corners.
Now the fun part—the add-in’s. To this basic recipe I’ll add five chopped, roasted & cleaned hatch chilies and half an ear of corn, cut off the cob. If the corn is raw, throw 1/2 c of fresh corn into the pan with the fat. Then mix as above, adding the chopped chilies to the final few turns of the spatula.
Bake at 425°F about 20 min., or until cake tester or wooden pick comes out clean when inserted in center of bread.
TThis is my favorite cornbread recipe by far. I think it’s really easy, Maybe not as easy as Jiffy muffins, but darn close.
Eat Well & Love Big
xoxo Nancy
* Props to my bestie Jeanne, a Texan who taught me how to make cornbread.
