I felt pretty crummy yesterday, like a cold or flu might be coming on. Low energy, achy, a bit of a cough, lots of sneezing. So, I didn’t attempt anything more ambitious than a walk to the market for supplies and lots of time in the kitchen.
Another issue of Cooks Ill, another batch of recipes to try.
I started with the black bean soup, which turned out to be an unqualified winner. Although it takes a while from start to finish, most of that is idle time for beans to soften or for soup to simmer, leaving plenty of time to chop veggies and play with other recipes. There were only two downsides I can see: 1) There weren’t nearly enough left overs. 2) I seem to be pneumatically powered today. Charming.
While waiting on soup, I had a bake-off. I followed the cornbread recipe from that same issue of CI. <cough>yankee cornbread</cough>
I wasn’t too fond of this one. Quelle surprise. It had more flour than corn meal, too many fats (an entire stick of butter, plus a dose of butter milk) and the finished product seemed more like cake than what I really wanted.
To compare and contrast, I also made the “southern cornbread” from the Best Recipes book (also from the CI folks), which came out very nice. Excellent crust, strong corn taste, and it popped out of my cast iron pan just beautifully. (Another cooking tool courtesy of Dan!) Speaking of which, is there a company that makes good cast iron these days? Lodge just isn’t cutting it. I want a smooth cooking surface inside that pan. Maybe I should be haunting more estate sales and the like.
I have two other corn bread recipes I want to try, one from Saveur and one from the aforementioned Dan. But I think that’ll wait until the current supply of corn bread has been consumed.
I made the german chocolate cake recipe in there yesterday, sans the filling. The cake itself is GREAT, fluffy, light, good moist but not wet and not dry.
As a fledgling Southerner, I naturally have questions about cornbread.
OK. I’ve experienced very moist and cake-y cornbread, like the kind you described as yankee cornbread, and I’ve experienced very dry and somewhat salty cornbread — which is actually my preference. I’ve experienced both of these varieties in differing forms: muffins, squares, wedges, etc.
What’s your take on the “real” deal, or does it perhaps matter what dish it’s being paired with?
Traditional southern cornbread is (IME) more savory than sweet, more crusty and grainy than light and fluffy. The crusty comes (at least in part) from the cooking method. Because it’s a bit crumbly, I find southern cornbread works best as a side to a soup, stew, beans or chili.
Put 4 tsp of fat (bacon fat or crisco) in a cast iron skillet.
Pop the skillet into the oven and heat to 450° F.
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 2/3 cup of corn meal, 2 tsp of sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp baking soda.
In a different, large bowl, place 1/3 cup of corn meal.
Add 1/3 cup rapidly boiling water, stir to a mush.
Add 3/4 cup of buttermilk and 1 large egg.
Whisk it all together good.
When the oven has reached its temp, add the bowl of dry stuff to the bowl of wet stuff. Stir.
Pull the very hot cast iron pan from the oven.
In rapid succession:
Pour the liquid fat into the batter.
Stir the batter.
Dump the batter into the very hot cast iron pan.
Pop the very hot cast iron pan back into the oven.
Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
Once I’ve tried the other two recipes, I’ll let you know if I’ve found something even better. 🙂
I second you on southern vs. northern cornbread. That’s the difference, all right.
Speaking of which, is there a company that makes good cast iron these days? Lodge just isn’t cutting it. I want a smooth cooking surface inside that pan. Maybe I should be haunting more estate sales and the like.
From what I’ve read, it sounds like new pans are going to be somewhat rough — the smoothness comes with time and seasoning. So estate sale pans might be a good idea, or you could just cook lots and lots of bacon. 🙂
Hope you feel better soon.
Heya! I didn’t know who this was when I first saw the comment.
Really, you think that pebbly surface inside a Lodge pan wears smooth with time? Do you regularly cook with a disk grinder? 🙂 I’m skeptical. The other cast iron pan I was gifted with is as smooth and slick on the bottom (Well, the inside bottom. The cooking surface. What’s that called?) as it could possibly be. I’m having a hard time imagining wearing my Lodge pan anywhere near that smooth.
As it is, the Lodge is what I’ve used the last few times I’ve done blackened fish, and now it leaves a fishy smell on whatever it cooks, no matter how thoroughly I try to clean it. So, I think that has become my official, full-time fish pan. Speaking of which, I haven’t made fish tacos in too long. Thanks for the reminder.
I don’t know from experience, having only used my new Lodge pans a dozen times or so. But the theory is that the holes get filled in with grease/seasoning (hence the bacon suggestion), rather than the bumps get worn down with time. May be a kitchen fairy tale, but it’s what I’ve read. 🙂
Anyway, I’ve heard Lodge pans are the best out there, but perhaps that’s no longer the case. But at least they’re consistently bumpy — I didn’t closely inspect the cast iron pan I bought from Cost Plus a few years ago, and after a few uses I noticed it had a very uneven surface.
Thorough seasoning before the first use will keep the pan from retaining flavors. I know, too late now– and I’m not sure what, short of steel wool and an unreasonable amount of time and reseasoning, might fix that.
There’s a pan here waiting for you, lid & all.
mmmm, delicious sweet yankee corn cake
iron cookware
A good cooking surface, like a good relationship, is something you create and nurture, not something you’re likely to get right out of the box. If you can’t get ironware that someone got from their grandmother and *reseasoned periodically,* used ironware may not be an improvement over Lodge.
First, clean the surface thoroughly. Even– and this may be the last time you do this– use a grease-cutting detergent. Rinse very thoroughly.
Heat slowly on the stovetop or in the oven, being sure to remove the cookware as soon as it is completely dry, but before it has become very hot.
Completely coat on all surfaces with Crisco shortening or a very pure vegetable oil which does not smoke easily (I sometimes use extra virgin olive oil, but I must watch the temperature carefully when I do so.) Rub the oil in. (You may do this naked on a tarpaulin if you wish, but only a very strange person whould think of that.) Then heat on low heat while periodically adding more oil, until the metal is no longer thirsty.
Wipe off the excess oil or shortening. Store somewhat protected from dust and other contaminants.
For the first couple of years, always put a little bit of oil in the cookware before using it, and allow it to soak in. If ever disaster or rust strike, repeat the initial seasoning process.
After every use, scrub with a metal scrubber (no soap unless you’re ready to re-season), rinse, heat to dry thoroughly, oil, heat, cool, wipe, and store.
Re: iron cookware
Sorry if I went into too much detail in this comment– I suspect you know about seasoning, but aren’t used to the extra care completely raw ironware needs.