Food & Wine (February 2008)
Food & Wine recommends serving their Toasted Cornmeal Corn Bread with their recipe for Pork Cheek and Black-Eyed Pea Chili, and who are we to argue? The recipe advertises the finished product as both sweet and moist, conjuring thoughts of Jiffy Corn Bread.
Toasting cornmeal was something we had never done before. Adding the cornmeal to a hot skillet and stirring constantly proved both a bit messy and also nerve wracking, as the cornmeal started to smell more burned than toasted. Outside of this step, the recipe was easy and much like other corn bread recipes, except for its use of honey to sweeten the batter.
We're sad to report, though, that the corn bread was disappointing, and did not stack up to other recipes we've used in the past. The toasting did not seem to produce a heartier flavor, and though the amount of honey in the recipe is substantial, the result was not sweet. If we were going to make this corn bread a second time, we would skip the toasting, add more honey, and think sweet thoughts of Jiffy.
A peek at the cornbread
Toasted Cornmeal Corn Bread
ACTIVE TIME: 15 MIN
TOTAL TIME: 1 HR
ONE 9-BY-13-INCH CORN BREAD
This sweet, moist corn bread makes a perfect accompaniment to the meaty pork chili, though it's quite delicious all on its own. Toasting the cornmeal first gives the corn bread a heartier flavor.
Ingredients
* 2 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 tablespoon baking powder
* 1 tablespoon kosher salt
* 1 1/2 cups whole milk
* 2/3 cup honey, warmed
* 2 large eggs, beaten
* 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Oil a 9-by-13-inch metal baking pan.
2. In a medium skillet, toast the cornmeal over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and whisk in the flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the milk with the honey and eggs. Add the liquid to the dry ingredients and whisk until moistened. Add the butter and whisk until smooth.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the corn bread cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm or at room temperature.
MAKE AHEAD The corn bread can be wrapped in foil and kept at room temperature for up to 2 days. Reheat in the foil.
