Blueberries and Lobster

I thought I had the recipe for the best cornbread ever. I really did. My favorite cookbook, Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything, rarely steers me wrong.

But then we were headed for dinner at a friend’s house, and a slight wheat allergy meant that I had to get creative. Bittman’s recipe, like many cornbread recipes, calls for flour. So I found another recipe that doesn’t involve any bean flours, or tapioca flours, or anything like that; it just calls for cornmeal.

Lots and lots of cornmeal.

And you know what? I actually liked it better than the flour version. It is rustic, and earthy, and only very slightly sweet. And instead of my standard shelf-stable buttermilk, I used actual, real buttermilk from a local dairy. I’m sure that helped too. And it is so incredibly good the next day for breakfast, toasted, with butter and honey.

And yes, I use bacon grease. If you’re not into bacon for one reason or another, use butter or vegetable oil.

The (New) Best Cornbread Ever
Adapted from an old Moosewood, by way of RecipeLink

2 T. bacon grease
2 c. yellow cornmeal, divided
1/2 c. boiling water
1 T. sugar (scant)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 egg
1 1/4 c. buttermilk

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

On the stovetop, heat a small (6-8″) cast iron skillet on medium-low. Add the bacon grease to the skillet and let it get nice and hot while you prepare the rest of the batter.

In a medium bowl, stir together 1/2 c. of the cornmeal with the boiling water. Set aside — it will become stiff.

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients: remaining 1 1/2 c. cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda.

Beat the egg and sugar into the cornmeal mush, until well combined. Add the buttermilk and mix until it forms a thin batter.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and mix just until the batter is smooth. Pour batter into your prepared skillet. The bacon fat should come up over the edges of the batter. Swirl the skillet so that all edges are covered.

Slide the skillet into your oven for 30-35 minutes, until the cornbread is firm and the edges pull away from the pan. Allow to cool in the skillet for at least 20 minutes before serving. The cornbread should easily pop right out.