A Cornbread to Kill For
How Cool is That? Item #3From Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant:
2 eggs
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/4 cup cooking oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup brown sugar (optional)
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup white or yellow cornmeal (preferably good quality stone ground)
1 cup unbleached white flour (or half whole-wheat, half white)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, milk, oil, salt, and brown sugar until well blended. Sift in the baking powder and whisk until foamy. Quickly mix in the cornmeal and flour. Beat until the batter is smooth. Pour into an oiled 9-inch square or 10-inch round baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
When I made this cornbread, I used half skim milk, half plain lowfat yogurt (instead of buttermilk), brown sugar (I'm a big fan of Domino's Brownulated(tm) sugar for its brick-resistance), stone-ground yellow cornmeal, and white flour only. I almost cried when I bit into it, it was so good.
The cookbook is based on the Moosewood Restaurant's Sunday tradition of spotlighting different world cuisines. Because of this book, we've tried dishes from all over the planet, from South Africa ("Tofu Bobotie") to Finland ("Sienipiirakka," or Mushroom Pie).
Hint: Scandinavian food--not for the lactose intolerant.
The cornbread recipe comes from the American South section. Most of the cookbook is vegetarian, but at least ten percent of the main dishes contain seafood. Each section, written by a native or someone close to the tradition, discusses how the food reflects the culture of the country, region, or ethnicity. It's where I learned that one should warm the teapot before adding leaves, and that real Italians don't use a spoon to help twirl their pasta (just a fork, twirling a few strands at a time).
I highly recommend this book. You just haven't lived until you've eaten Mahshi Filfil and Kukkakaalialaatikko.
