Cornbread. I love cornbread, and yet it wasn't something I experienced tasting until I was a grown up. It was not a staple or ever even mentioned in my home when I was growing up. It simply did not exist for me except in novels and stories.
My first experience of it was as an adult and it came in the form of a handwritten recipe my MIL gave to me in a little handwritten notebook of recipes that first year my ex and I were married. Elizabeth celebrated her 92nd birthday in August and though her son and I are no longer married, I still make her delicious corn cake from time to time and enjoy it with happy thoughts of her and all that she taught me about cooking and indeed life. She called it Corn Cake and you can find that tasty recipe here. It is my bench mark for what a good corn bread is.
This recipe I am sharing today comes from this Pillsbury Cookbook, Harvest Time Baking & Cooking, and its fabulously different than the usual.
First of all it has equal amounts of flour and cornmeal. By cornmeal (for the purpose of those from the UK) I am talking about a type of coarse polenta. If you are in North America, I am not talking about cornbread mix or self rising cornmeal. I am talking about good old, plain cornmeal here.
Another difference is that it is sweetened with Maple Syrup. That is unusual in my books . . . very New England . . .
It is studded with raisins and spiced with cinnamon . . . another difference from the regular versions of cornbread.
It smells heavenly when it is baking . . . you cannot beat the airborne scent of cinnamon. Full stop.
That is such an autumnal smell and Autumn is surely here. I saw three sets of geese flying south for the winter this morning . . . it seems very early I think . . . but they were right there up in the sky . . . the sight and sound taking me back to my Canadian childhood.
Cornbread . . . a flavor of autumn along with Maple and flying geese . . . and the smell of cinnamon . . .
We enjoyed it split and buttered with cold butter from the fridge . . . sliced into thin slices and laid atop the cut and dimpled surface . . .
Melting down into those nooks crannies and crevices . . . mingling with the sweet of dried fruit and warm spice . . .
So very delicious . . . the bread crisp edged . . . its crumb soft and crunchy at the same time from the cornmeal. I will always love that about cornbread . . .
The only way it could get any better was if you squirted some liquid honey on top . . . .
And I did . . . very naughty but very nice.
Yield: 9
Author: Marie Rayner
Maple & Spice Cornbread
This unique and delicious corn bread is spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg and orange peel and sweetened with maple syrup. Studded with raisins, it goes fabulously with ham and eggs!ingredients:
- 140g plain flour (1 cup)
- 170g cornmeal (1 cup) (not self rising)
- 75g raisins (1/2 cup)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp grated orange peel
- 160ml milk (2/3 cup)
- 120ml maple syrup (1/2 cup)
- 60g butter, melted (1/4 cup)
- 2 large free range eggs, lightly beaten
instructions:
How to cook Maple & Spice Cornbread
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Butter an 8 or 9 inch square baking tin. Set aside.
- Whisk the flour, cornmeal, raisins, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and orange peel together in a bowl. Whisk together the beaten eggs, milk, butter and maple syrup. Make a hollow in the dry ingredients and add the wet all at once. Stir together just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 17 to 22 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm, cut into squares.
This was so, so, so good! I hope you will bake it and when you do think of geese flying across gray skies, the sound of skittering leaves and the smell of warm cinnamon and hearth and home.
Up tomorrow: Raisin Sour Cream Meringue Pie
