cornbread [General]

2013 Oct 5
I remember seeing a picture of a hand-lettered sign in a window that read:
SAVE THE PLANET!
IT'S THE ONLY ONE
WITH CORNBREAD!

The Dragonlady and I don't agree on several things, and a recipe for cornbread is one of those things. I like the little kernels of corn in mine, she does not. I like mine to be soft, while she likes to use the larger variety of ground corn meal and it doesn't quite cook all the way so is kind of crunchy.

We both agree that it shouldn't be sweet. At least, not as sweet as every gorram restaurant in the city wants to make it. It should not be in the shape of a muffin so small I can easily fit 3 in my mouth at once, which isn't possible because I'm only served one. It should be baked in a pan and cut into servings that will not fall apart because it is so flaky, nor stick to the hands because it is so wet.

Making cornbread, much like making biscuits, is an art that is practised every day in some households. Not nearly enough in ours.

2013 Oct 5
I use tons of different cornbread recipes, and prefer it a bit on the sweet side, but not overly so. In my opinion, the skillet cornbread at union local 613 is the best in town. I often include bits of corn, jalapenos, cheddar etc. and change it up often. The once constant is that it MUST be cooked in hot cast iron to develop a nice crust. I have three of these cast iron corn stick pans in different sizes that get used often. I also will cook it in a large skillet and cut into wedges. And truth be told, sometimes I used mixes from Sylvia's or B. Smith's when I can find them in the USA. I know - sacrilege, right?

2013 Oct 6
The September issue of House and Home has Union 613's cornbread recipe. I have not tried making it yet.