I prefer the all-cornmeal-no-sugar style of southern cornbread to the cake-like style favored by the Yankees up here. The fresh sweet corn puree in this recipe does three things -- it boosts the corn flavor, adds a little sweetness, and it adds moistness which is often missing from traditional southern cornbread. This is a great use for leftover corn on the cob, and yes you can use frozen corn, just make sure you thaw it before you try to puree it.
Ingredients:
2 c. cornmeal - I prefer a coarse grind, like the wonderful freshly-ground cornmeal from my neighbors the L'Etoiles at Four Star Farms1 c. plain Greek yogurt
1 c. whole milk
(You can substitute cultured buttermilk for the milk and yogurt if you have it on hand)
3-4 ears of sweet corn, kernels cut from cobs (about 2 cups)
1/4 c. vegetable oil
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees with a rack in middle position. Place a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or 9- by 9-inch baking dish in the oven to preheat for 10 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, milk, and yogurt and set aside.
Puree the fresh corn in a blender until very smooth. Transfer it to a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Add the oil to the hot skillet and continue to bake until oil is just smoking, about 5 minutes. Add the butter, carefully swirling the pan until the butter is melted. Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the oil mixture into the cornmeal, leaving remaining oil mixture in pan. Whisk corn purée, beaten eggs, baking powder, baking soda and salt into cornmeal mixture until well-combined.
Pour the mixture into the hot skillet and bake until top begins to crack and edges are golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.
Variations: Stir in 1/4 cup finely chopped onions or jalapeños, 3/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, or 3 to 4 slices cooked and crumbled bacon just before baking. Traditionally the fat in this recipe would have been bacon fat, which I find overwhelms the flavor of the bread a bit, so shoot me, you southern purists! But I admit I have also made this with schmaltz instead of butter when there were no vegetarians expected, because I love schmaltz! Try sprinkling the gribenes over the top just before baking (if you haven't eaten them all yet).
