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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 0 Minutes |
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John Willoughby, once the executive editor of Gourmet and, with the chef Chris Schlesinger, one of the great interpreters of live-fire cooking in the United States, once said that there are only 11 recipes in the world, and those of us who labor in kitchens spend most of our time re-inventing them. As an example, here is my adaptation of the recipe for cornbread Schlesinger served in his East Coast Grill from the time he opened the place in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1985. The adaptation? I have added a few cups of frozen organic corn for texture. Those who wish to go further might add a fine dice of fiery chipotle peppers in sauce, or cook a few slices of bacon in the skillet before cooking the dish, and add the crumbled result to the batter. The fat left over in the pan would allow you to reduce the amount of butter you use by about 2 tablespoons. Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour |
2 cups yellow cornmeal |
1 1/2 cups sugar |
1 teaspoon salt |
2 tablespoons baking powder |
4 large eggs |
3 cups milk |
2 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil |
1 10-ounce package frozen organic corn kernels |
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted |
Directions:
1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9-inch cast-iron skillet or a 12 by 8 by 2-inch pan, and place it in the oven to heat.
2. 2. In a large bowl, sift together the fl our, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, and oil. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients, add the corn, and stir until just combined. Add the butter and stir once or twice to incorporate.
3. 3. Remove the hot skillet or pan from the oven, pour batter into it, and give the whole number a smack on the counter to settle it. Put pan in oven to cook until mixture is brown on top and a sharp knife inserted into its center comes out clean, approximately 1 hour. Cornbread can, indeed should, be made ahead of time. If it is slightly stale at the start of the process, so much the betterthe dried cornbread leads to a fluffier dressing.
4. From the Book, Thanksgiving: How to Cook it Well by Sam Sifton. Copyright © 2012 by Sam Sifton. Reprinted by arrangement of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. Sam Sifton is the national editor of The New York Times, that newspaper's former restaurant critic, and a food columnist for the Sunday Times Magazine. Before coming to the Times, where he has also worked as the culture editor and the editor of the Dining section, he worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, a teacher in the New York City public schools, a first mate on a century-old schooner, and a prep cook. Sam Sifton lives in Brooklyn with his wife and two daughters.
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