Southern Cast Iron – September 2019

SEPTEMBER | OCTOBER 2019 84

PiMiEnTo ChEeSe SpOoN BrEaD
Makes 8 to 10 servings

Spoon bread is a cornbread-souffl é hybrid. Once
baked, it will fall quickly but still taste delicious!

2 cups whole milk
1 cup Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix (recipe
precedes)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and
divided
4 large eggs, separated
1 cup pimiento cheese*
½ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 325 ̊.


2. In a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, heat milk
   over medium heat until steaming. Whisk in
   Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix and 1 tablespoon
   melted butter; cook, stirring constantly, until
   thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to
   a large bowl, and let cool for 15 minutes. Clean
   skillet; brush skillet with remaining 1 tablespoon
   melted butter.


3. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until fl uff y
   and light in color. Whisk yolks, pimiento cheese,
   and pepper into cooled cornmeal mixture until
   combined.


4. In a large bowl, beat egg whites with a mixer
   at medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.
   Gently fold half of egg whites into cornmeal
   mixture; fold in remaining egg whites. Pour
   batter into prepared pan.


5. Bake until puff ed, center is set, and
   top is browned, about 40 minutes. Serve
   immediately.

*We used Palmetto Cheese Original Pimento
Cheese.

BaCoN-BoUrBoN CoRnBrEaD WeDgEs

Makes 8

Mixing bourbon into the batter adds subtle fl avor

but it can be replaced with water, if desired.

6 slices bacon, chopped

1½ cups Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix (recipe

precedes)

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup whole buttermilk, room temperature

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons bourbon

1 large egg

8 sprigs fresh thyme

½ cup salted butter, softened

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 400°.


2. In a large cast-iron skillet, cook bacon over
   medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon using
   a slotted spoon, and let drain on paper towels,
   reserving 2 tablespoons drippings in a medium
   bowl.


3. Brush wells of an 8-well cast-iron wedge pan
   with remaining drippings from skillet. Place pan
   in oven for 5 minutes to preheat.


4. In a large bowl, whisk together Self-Rising
   Cornmeal Mix, sugar, thyme, and salt. To
   reserved drippings, whisk in buttermilk, melted
   butter, bourbon, and egg. Make a well in center
   of cornmeal mixture; fold in buttermilk mixture
   just until combined. Remove pan from oven, and
   carefully spoon batter into each prepared well.
   (Batter should sizzle.) Top batter with thyme sprigs.


5. Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick
   inserted in center comes out clean, 10 to
   12 minutes.
   6. In a small bowl, stir together softened butter
   and cinnamon until well combined. Serve with
   warm cornbread wedges. Cover and refrigerate
   any remaining cinnamon butter for up to
   1 month.

CoRnBrEaD WaFfLeS

Makes 6 to 8 servings

The cast-iron waffl e iron gives these waffl es a

delicious crispy crust.

2 cups Self-Rising Cornmeal Mix (recipe

precedes)

1½ cups whole milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons honey, plus more to serve

Garnish: confectioners’ sugar, sliced bananas

1. Preheat oven to 200°. Place a wire rack on a
   large rimmed baking sheet. Place pan in oven.


2. Preheat a cast-iron waffl e iron over medium
   heat.


3. In a large bowl, whisk together Self-Rising
   Cornmeal Mix, milk, melted butter, eggs, and
   2 tablespoons honey until well combined. Let
   stand for 2 minutes. (If batter is too thick, add
   more milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, until batter is
   thick but pourable.)


4. For each waffl e, spray waffl e iron with
   nonfl ammable cooking spray. Pour ⅓ cup batter
   onto waffl e iron. Cook, turning iron halfway
   through, until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
   Place waffl es in oven to keep warm. Garnish
   with confectioners’ sugar and banana slices, if
   desired. Serve with additional honey.

SeLf-RiSiNg CoRnMeAl MiX

Makes about 8 cups

Using self-rising cornmeal mix

eliminates or decreases the need for

added leavening agents, simplifying the

recipe and ingredients.

6 cups blue, yellow, or white plain

stone-ground cornmeal*

1½ cups all-purpose fl our

½ cup baking powder

4 teaspoons kosher salt

1. In a large bowl, whisk together all
   ingredients. Store in an airtight container
   (labeled with date) for up to 1 year.

*We used McEwen & Sons Stone Ground

Cornmeal.

DiD YoU KnOw?

Flour was made standard in most self-

rising cornmeal mixes only in the last

decade. To make a more traditional (and

gluten-free) mix, omit fl our, reduce baking

powder to 3 tablespoons, and reduce salt

to 2 teaspoons. Although the recipes in

this feature were developed using our Self-

Rising Cornmeal Mix, and do require fl our,

you can get creative with a fl ourless mix in

your favorite home recipes.