World's Greatest Cornbread Recipe

This is for everyone who has ever gotten up, staggered out of bed, and thought--I wonder what I can make that will use up two dregs of heavy cream, some whole milk, two eggs and an hour of my time in order to produce the world's most heavenly breakfast pudding bread? So, its kind of thrifty, really, in an extravagant kind of way. Its a slightly tweaked version of a recipe from Marion Cunningham's The Breakfast Book (p 52). Serves Eight? Unless you are piggy, then it serves 5.

Custard Filled Cornbread.
"This recipe is magic. When the cornbread is done a creamy, barely set custard will have formed inside and everyone will try to figure out how you got it there." More...

2 eggs ------------------------------1 cup all purpose flour
3 TBS melted butter ----------------3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar -----------------------1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt-------------------------- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups milk ---------------------------1 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbs white vinegar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 inch square baking dish or pan that is about 2 inches deep. Put the buttered dish or pan in the oven and let it get hot while you mix the batter. Put the eggs in a mixing bowl and add the melted butter. Beat until the mixture is well blended.

Add the sugar, salt, milk and vinegar and beat well.

Sift the flour, cornmeal, aking powder and baking soda and add to the eggm isture. Mix just until the batter is smooth and no lumps appear (it will seem surprisingly watery).

Pour the batter into the heated dish and then pour the cream into the center of the batter--don't stir. Bake for 1 hour or until lightly browned. Serve warm but I would say you should let it sit at least fifteen minutes to kind of set up. It seems too gluey when you first take it out of the oven but a few minutes later the cream layer settles out and the thing is just heavenly. Drizzle with honey.

aimai