Corn bread classics revisited

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Corn bread classics revisited

Thursday, May 06, 1999

By Arlene Burnett, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

In the 17th century, corn bread -- or corn pone as it was called then -- was a simple combination of cornmeal, salt and water. It wasn't until the 1800s that milk, sweeteners and butter were added to the basic recipe. Soon after, cooks discovered that onions, peppers and other spices worked well with corn bread. Today Kitchen Mailbox returns to basic corn bread.

Mary Luther of Pleasant Hills requested a moist Southern corn bread. After making several batches of corn bread, we've come to the conclusion that maybe corn bread is not meant to be moist. Rather, it's meant to be crumbly and a little on the dry side, but that does not take away from the flavor of a good corn bread Today's recipe for Best Corn Bread did have a moist texture -- more so than other recipes we've tested. And the buttermilk gave it added flavor. The best way to bake corn bread is in a cast-iron skillet, but any baking pan will do.

If you like corn bread, you'll love the second recipe: Maple-Corn Coffee Cake. We found this cake to be quite tasty, with the addition of nuts and especially the maple syrup that's baked into the almost finished cake.

If you're trying to decide whether to use white or yellow cornmeal, this information may be of some help.

There is virtually no difference in the taste of white or yellow cornmeal.

According to "Around the Southern Table" by Sarah Belk, stone-ground cornmeals have a stronger, true corn flavor and aroma and is recommended.

There are two styles of cornmeal: steel-ground and stone- or water-ground. The cornmeal you find in most supermarkets is steel-ground, meaning the husk and germ have been removed. Steel-ground cornmeal can be stored indefinitely in an airtight container in a cool dark place.

Stone-ground retains some of the corn's hull and germ, making it slightly more nutritious, but more perishable. Store stone-ground cornmeal in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four months. You can find stone-ground cornmeal in health food stores.

Sources: "The Food Lover's Tiptionary" and "The Food Lover's Companion," both by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

Here is the "best" corn bread we've tested. It was sent in by Brenda S. Hackett of Burgettstown.

Best Corn Bread

3/4 cup cornmeal 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 1 egg (or 2 egg whites)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease (or spray with Pam) an 8- or 9-inch baking pan or a 10-inch cast-iron skillet.

Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, oil and egg, mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until light golden brown and tests done. Serve warm. Makes 8-9 servings.

Variation: Corn Berry Muffins -- Grease bottoms only of 12 medium muffin cups or line with paper baking cups. Add 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries, partially thawed, to batter. Fill prepared muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Makes 1 dozen.

This recipe was submitted by Cathy Holm of Monroeville.

Maple-Corn Coffee Cake

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal (Cathy uses stone-ground) 1 1/2 cups flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2/3 cup buttermilk 1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans or a combination of both 3/4 cup maple syrup (use real maple syrup if you can), see note

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the buttermilk and mixing well after each addition. Stir in chopped nuts and mix well.

Spread the batter evenly in a buttered 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until firm and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and pour the maple syrup evenly over the top of the cake. Return pan to the oven for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely before serving.

Makes 10-12 servings.

Note: We used 1/2 cup maple syrup as suggested by Cathy Holm. She felt the 3/4 cup maple syrup made the cake overly sweet.

Source: "Blue Corn and Chocolate" by Elisabeth Rozin.

Letter

"This is a long time in coming, but I do want to thank you for pursuing the answer to my question on roasting beef at a high temperature and then turning the oven off for a period of time. Your results were most interesting.

"Also, when my request first appeared, I had a call from one of your readers who does use this method and is quite satisfied with it.

"Again, thank you."

Audrey J. Bett

Bethel Park

Requests

Joanne Piatti of Monroeville lost her recipe for the "best" recipe for macaroni and cheese. This recipe was from the Pittsburgh Press, and one of the ingredients was wine. If anyone has this recipe, please send it in.

Irene Welsh of West Mifflin would like a recipe for cold beet soup containing onions and cucumbers.