Family Cornbread

It has come to my attention that I said that I would write about Cornbread next.  Okay, I didn't, but I'll make it up now.  Both Granny and Memaw made cornbread the same way.  (I think this is the only recipe where I can say this!)  The difference is that Memaw made cornbread every single day.  When you went into her kitchen, she usually had fresh cornbread staying warm on the stove along with a simmering pot of beans.  (In the summer, it was usually string beans.  In the winter, she generally had pinto beans or the like.)

Laura modeling with two pans of perfectly prepared cornbread.

Here are some non-negotiables:

• You shall only use white cornmeal to make cornbread.  Granny, Memaw, and Mom used Quaker White Cornmeal.  I cannot find it here so I use Indian Head White Cornmeal.  The white cornmeal used in Mexican cooking will change the outcome a bit.
• You shall look upon anyone who suggests adding sugar to the cornbread with absolute distaste as sugar in cornbread is JOHNNY CAKE and not proper CORNBREAD.  Dammit.  It is your family duty to ensure that anyone who knows you well-enough to make such a garish suggestion is set right and will never again entertain this line of thinking. 
• You need a cast iron skillet that is really reserved for cornbread.  This will be well-seasoned and washed with salt and dried in the oven after each use.  Should you ever scrub it, you will re-season it.
• Granny and Memaw used real bacon grease to prevent sticking.  Mom used Crisco.  (I often use Olive Oil and marvel that I still live.  I am certain that I breathe only because none of them ever knew I did this.  It may be that I'm not making "proper" cornbread.)  :) 

Mom, Granny, and Memaw used Morton's Iodized Salt.  Either works just as well.

 Okay, so to make a small pan of cornbread, you will need about a cup of white cornmeal, about two tablespoons of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon (plus a pinch) of baking soda, one egg, and one cup of cultured buttermilk.  (To make a large pan of cornbread, double everything above except for the egg.)   You will also need enough grease to coat the bottom of the skillet.

Dry Ingredients and an egg.  Just add buttermilk!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Gather your ingredients.  Warm your skillet over medium heat on the stove.  Combine all ingredients, and beat everything together until it is lump-free and foamy.  It should flow like pancake batter.  Add a bit of buttermilk if it is too thick and a bit of flour or cornmeal if too soupy.

Add the grease to the warmed skillet.  If you do not pre-warm the skillet, the cornbread will stick.  Actually, it will weld to the bottom of your skillet.  (If you do it all correctly and it still sticks, it may be time to clean your skillet with some salt and elbow grease, and oil it again before putting it away...or maybe you need to remove everything down to bare metal and re-season your skillet.)

When the grease seems to shimmer, it is hot.  Pour the batter all at once into the skillet and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes or until browned. Once it is done, invert the pan over a plate.  If it sticks, use a butter knife to go around the edge and try to gently pop the loaf onto the plate.

Let it cool prior to adding to dressing breads.

It's the base for our cornbread dressing and also goes with so many things beyond beans!  Like deer stew, for example.  Just ask Laura.

FAQs:

• Is it proper to butter cornbread?
• Yes, but you should slice it open and butter within otherwise the butter drips onto your fingers.

•  Is it allowed to crumble cornbread into beans, soups, etc.?
• Not only is it allowed, but it is highly encouraged.

• Grandpa use to crumble cold cornbread in a glass and then poured milk on it!  Then he would offer me bites!  Is this okay?  (This was a favorite of Dad's father, who we called Grandpa.)
• He must have loved you very much to share one of the best old-fashioned uses for cornbread.  Did you try it?  If not, you should!

• How long is cornbread safe to eat?
• It's always been gone within a day around here.  It's fine at least until then.  Probably a few days more, but the world may never know.

• Can you recommend an especially yummy way to eat cornbread?
• While cornbread is delicious on its own, I love it lightly buttered and eaten with a bit of raw scallion.  A bit of cornbread, a bite of scallion.  Slip a few bites of tomato and dinner in the summer is perfect!

• Seriously, how long does it take to make cornbread?
• Once you know what you are doing, it takes perhaps 3 minutes of preparation and is done in 25 minutes.

• What's a perfect kitchen gift for beloved nieces and nephews who have not given holiday suggestions?
• Lodge cast iron skillets.  Hmmm.

Obviously a perfect Christmas gift.  Now practice making cornbread!  ;)

Whole Cranberry Sauce Inspired by Mom Burch

Mom and Pop Burch were Pepaw's parents.  Pepaw always missed Mom Burch's cornbread, but Granny never thought much of it, which means that she never learned to make it.  It has been said that Mom Burch made terrific cranberry sauce, but Granny liked jellied cranberry sauce and I always remember having the canned variety.  (Again, this means that Granny never learned to make Mom Burch's recipe.)  Sadly, Mom Burch passed before I remember tasting it and no one seemed to have the recipe.  Pepaw said that Mom Burch's cranberry sauce was loaded with berries and the sauce was both sweet and tart.  He also said that it had the best lingering taste of oranges, but he did not recall there being oranges in the sauce.  Not having many recipes from Mom Burch, I had to try to recreate it.

All of the recipes that I have from Mom Burch do not spare on sugar, butter, etc.  The ingredients are fresh and she would purchase the best available.  I remember a Christmas tree at Mom and Pop Burch's home that had a tinsel made of popcorn and cranberries, so I know she had access to fresh cranberries.  That is where I started.  I've tried extracts, juices, and fruit pulp.  Orange/tangerine zest seems to give the best results of what I've tried so far.  In fact, I'm satisfied with the recipe.  Here is how to make it:

Fresh Cranberries in the Pot with the Zest of a Tangerine

Select a pot that will give plenty of room for stirring.  Pick through the berries and discard any that are damaged or severely discolored.  Rinse the berries well.  For roughly one pound of fresh cranberries, add the zest of one orange or tangerine.  (I made ribbons of zest but, since Pepaw did not remember seeing any orange in the sauce, I believe Mom Burch grated it if zest was what she used.)  Squeeze the juice from the zested citrus into a coffee cup and add water to make a full cup.  (Avoid pulp.)  Pour the liquid in the pot along with an equal amount of sugar.  The water/juice/sugar mixture will come about half way up the heap of berries.  (If you want a less jellied sauce, add a bit more water.  Perhaps 1/4 cup.) Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat and stir constantly.  Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and continue to stir for about 10-15 minutes.

Laura stirring up cranberry magic!

The berries will sound like popcorn at times as their skins split open, and the smell of cranberries and orange will make the kitchen smell great!  Pour the cranberry sauce into a Pyrex dish and allow to cool for 20 minutes or so before covering and placing in the refrigerator overnight.

Cranberry Sauce beginning to "gel."

It will look dark in the dish.  But, once you stir it, it will glimmer like bright red jewels on a plate....or spoon.

Still pretty bright and tasty days after Thanksgiving!

 I like to think this is what Pepaw remembered.  In any case, it is really good.  You could put it through a mill to remove seeds and pulp if you want to have cranberry jellied sauce without the fruit, but I've not tried to do that yet.  Also, this makes a quick, inexpensive, and tasty dish that compliments many things at a pot luck.  You won't go back to the canned stuff....unless Granny finds a way to misguide you!

A better picture of the color.