Cornbread

I recently received a request for a good cornbread recipe and, having never made it before (it's an American dish for sure), I decided to give it a try. What better reason to try out one of the pans Jacquie gave me for Christmas?

I went to Randall's (our standard grocery shopping place) to get ingredients but as they didn't have normal buttermilk in stock (only the low-fat kind), I made a quick stop at Whole Foods Market as well. Whole Foods is almost interesting enough to write its own post about but suffice it to say, had it not been for their whole "health nut" image, with half the store filled with dietary supplements and vitamins, combined with their slightly higher prices, I'd really enjoy shopping there. I go there for the fish, and for certain specialty items that are harder to find elsewhere. In addition, they seem to have a pretty nice cheese counter so I'm sure I'll stop by for that from time to time as well. As I was about to pay for the buttermilk, the lady in front of me asked if I was going to drink it "just like that". I answered "nope, makin' cornbread" and she seemed pleased with that answer. Who the hell drinks buttermilk "just like that"?

This is the first request I do, and I really enjoyed the challenge of making something I have not made before (not that cornbread was particularly challenging). Hell, I've only ever tasted cornbread once before, but at least Jacquie let me know that it tasted the way it's supposed to and was good to boot. If you have a request - be it a recipe, a bartending technique or something else (related to food or drink, naturally), feel free to leave a comment to a blog post, shoot me an email, post on my Facebook wall, or send a carrier pigeon my way.

Roy, here's your cornbread recipe. Enjoy!

Cornbread

1/4 lb unsalted butter (1/2 stick) + butter or oil for greasing pan
2/3 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch pan (at least 1 inch deep) with melted butter or vegetable oil. Next, melt the butter in a pan over medium low heat. Once melted, add to a large bowl (or to the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, if you're using that). Add the sugar and stir. Add eggs immediately and beat until everything is well blended.

Next, mix buttermilk and baking soda in a different bowl. Add this to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and stir. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt. Once combined, pour into the form.

Cook in oven 35-40 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in form, cut into squares and serve with your favorite meal.