Davada's Cornbread

Marsha Bloxsom brought this wonderful, all-corn, buttermilk version of cornbread to Supper on September 16. The Campsie oven had been out for weeks, and the lovely black skillet full of The Real Thing made a lot of people happy. Marsha graciously shared this recipe. And she firmly advises bacon fat instead of peanut oil. (Cornbread Supper hosts agree on this.)

DAVADA'S CORN BREAD

One heavy cast iron skillet 10"

2 cups cornmeal, preferably yellow

2 cups buttermilk

3 eggs

6 T peanut oil

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda dissolved in 1 T water

1 tsp salt

Take out the iron skillet. Put it in the oven and turn the heat to 400°. If you aren't using cast iron, skip this part because the pan will get too hot.

Sift the corn meal, baking powder and salt into a small bowl. In a larger glass bowl beat the eggs with a fork until frothy. Add the buttermilk and 3 T of the peanut oil.

Put the remaining 3 T peanut oil in the hot skillet in the oven.

Working quickly, add the meal mixture to the egg and milk mixture and stir until combined. Stir in the baking soda. Pour batter into the hot skillet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes. Turn out onto a wooden cutting board. Slice like a pie.

Serve immediately with lots of butter.

Note: The hot cast iron pan keeps the cornbread from sticking and makes the crust real crunchy. So good.

Comments

Boone Tavern Spoon Bread, the 1950s recipe

We have tried spoonbreads (soft, luscious, buttery—described by James Beard as a "heavy, dense soufflé") as Cornbread Supper mainstays before, and used great recipes, but the spoonbreads always did what spoonbreads (and soufflés) do: deflate. Through serendipity, and thanks to a Cornbread Supperian, I lucked into the old Boone Tavern (Berea College) recipe for spoonbread, and it is far less droopy. Perhaps Boone Tavern developed an approach to spoonbread that preserves all its goodness while still working for a busy restaurant. In any case, with thanks to Kentucky food and foodways author and guru John van Willigen, here's an excellent recipe for that can be doubled, tripled, and quadrupled to feed spoonbread to a crowd. It did just that on Monday, February 25, 2013. From Richard T. Hougen. Look No Further: A cookbook of favorite recipes from Boone Tavern Hotel, Berea College, Kentucky. New York: Abingdon Press. 1955. Southern Spoon Bread 1955 Ingredients 3 c...

We remember Vicky Schankula, 1947–2016

Vicky Schankula, at right, in purple One of life's most gracious and delightful people, Victoria Fairbanks Schankula, found Cornbread Suppers early on, and took joy in the weekly gatherings. She came to Cornbread Supper faithfully, bringing beautiful food, laughter, a camera for her "picture of the day," a lovely British accent, a commitment to helping clean up, and a constant interest in each other person in the room. When Vicky entered the house on Monday nights carrying a particular large round plate, children (and a few adults) trailed her to the dessert table to see what she had brought. The favorites: lemon bars, brownies and her mother's most unusual, delicious carrot cake. Vicky graciously shared and allowed us to publish recipes for Lemon Bars and Isabel Fairbairns's (Gangy's) Carrot Cake on this site. Gangy's Carrot Cake on Vicky Schankula's special dessert plate When illness prevented Vicky from returning to Cornbread Supper...

Cornbread Supper now is resting

For all the Cornbreadians and would-be Cornbreadians -- it was a good run. A bit more than nine years. You came on Mondays. Conviviality ensued. You made community. Gratitude to all. It was a gift to us.

Cornbread Supper

Search This Blog