Not everyone serves turkey or perhaps, like us, you will be offering both at your over-laden table. Why not? Hmmmm
This is for a cornmeal spoon bread and is really a great side dish. It is easy to make and quick as well. Why letting the ham rest, getting the other food together, this can be baking. Just be sure to let this sit for about 5 minutes after removing from the oven to let it ‘settle’.
- 5 tbsp. unsalted butter at room temperature
- 4 cups of milk
- 1 cup of fine ground white cornmeal (can use regular cornmeal)
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 4 eggs, separated
- 1/8 tsp. cream of tartar
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole (soufflé) dish with 2 tbsp. butter and set aside.
Heat milk in a saucepan until just starting to simmer. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal , and continue whisking until it begins to pulls away from the sides of the pan. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Beat in the salt, sugar and 3 tbsp. butter. Beat in the yolks now until well blended. Set aside.
Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form in a clean bowl. FOLD into the cornmeal, 1/3 of the whites to ‘loosen’ the mixture. Continue to fold in the remainder carefully.
Bake for 30 minutes until puffed and golden. Enjoy. You could drizzle a little maple syrup over the top before serving. Just sayin’.
Breakfast Muffins – Tasters
Our poor neighbor got a call this morning and told to come over for a tasting. Don and I are getting ready for our cooking class in April, so we are trying things similar to my cookbook, but not the same things exactly. If I did that, who would buy my cookbook? That is my thinking anyway.
This is what we ‘tasted’ two different ways.
- 4 slices of bacon, cut in thirds
- 5 eggs, divided
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal (yellow)
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup melted butter, not margarine
- 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- maple syrup
- Bacon Jam (recipe for this is on my site)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In frypan, cook bacon until ALMOST crisp. Drain and reserve bacon drippings.
Return 2 tsp. bacon drippings back into the skillet.
To make the scrambled eggs, whisk three eggs, 2 tbsp. water and a dash of salt and pepper. Cook the eggs until they start to set. Tip your pan up and lift up one end to allow the uncooked eggs to flow underneath and cook. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Don’t cook until completely dry.
First spray 2 1/2 inch muffin tins with pam and then brush in some of the bacon drippings.
In a bowl mix together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar and pinch of salt. Combine the milk, melted butter and remaining two eggs and whisk to blend well.
Make a hole in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the milk mixture. Gently stir together to combine. Fold in the scrambled eggs and cheese and place a generous spoonful in the muffin cups. (should be full)
Add a piece of the bacon on top of some of them or all (depends on what you want to have.) Bake in the oven for about 15-17 minutes. Just check with a toothpick to ensure cooked through.
If you used bacon on top, drizzle a tiny bit of maple syrup over the top. OMG! Are these tasty or what….
If using bacon jam, put a dollop on top of each muffin and wait for the ooohs and ahhhs. These are delicious and easy to prepare.
This is a win-win breakfast muffin for family or on a platter for a buffet at Easter, Mother’s Day, deck in the summer….you get the idea.
Blueberry Cornmeal Pancakes
This would be a real cool way to suprise those at the breakfast table. This recipe comes from Tutti’s off Main Street in California. It will serve 4.
Adjust accordingly if more are seated at the table.
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup stone ground cornmeal – not coarse
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cup buttermilk
- 3 tbsp. butter
- 1 cup fresh blueberries
- vegetable oil for brushing griddle
Whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and butter until well blended, then whisk into the flour mixture just until combined. Do not overmix. Fold in the blueberries. Batter should be lumpy and will thicken if left sitting.
Lightly coat the griddle with the oil and heat over moderate heat until really hot, but not smoking. Pour 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake and cook until bubbles appear on surface and lightly browned on the botton. Flip over and cook for 1-2 minutes longer.
Repeat until all pancakes have been made. Serve with butter and blueberry sauce and/or maple syrup.
Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah! Yummy.
Catfish With Crisp Apple Coleslaw
This fish is something new for me. It is great when served with homemade baked beans and/or homemade sweet potato fries. If you have a deep fryer, it is easy as can be.
- 1 large lime
- 1/3 cup mayo, not salad dressing
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 3 stalks celery, peeled and thinly sliced
- 1 red delicious apple, peel on and cored
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 -1 1/2 lb. catfish fillets
- 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp. oil for frying
Cut half of the lime into wedges and set aside. Juice the remaining half into a large bowl. Combine the mayo and honey with the juice, using a whisk. Reserve 2 tbsp. of this. Stir in the apple, celery and cabbage, mixing well to combine. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to plate the catfish.
Sprinkle the fish with a pinch of salt and brush with the reserved lime-mayo mixture. In a small bowl, combine the cornmeal and chili powder. Coat the fish fillets and cook in 2 tbsp. hot oil 3-4 minutes each side until it becomes a nice golden colour.
Serve with the chilled slaw, lime wedges and beans and/or fries. All that is needed now is a nice cold beer.
Yummy good. I tell the truth, catfish is a wonderful fish to eat.
Shortbread – Another One…..
Okay, okay, this year I made:
whipped shortbread, lemon shortbread, pecan shortbread, cheese shortbread, nut and fruit shortbread and lo and behold….here’s one more.
Which hip was in need? HA!
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup salted butter (both softened)
- 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup icing sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. lime zest (fresh)
- 2 cups flour
- 1/4 cup- get ready….cornmeal*
- 2 tsp. cornmeal
- pinch of coarse salt
Beat the butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes, until really light and fluffy. Add the zest and vanilla and, again, beat until smooth. Scrape the bowl often so it is all mixed together.
Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and slowly add the flour, 2 tbsp. cornmeal and salt. Mix together until well combined.
Roll into logs (about 1 1/2 inch around), wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about an hour.
Remove from the refrigerator, roll in the 1/4 cup of cornmeal and slice into 1/4 inch thick circles, place on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in a 300 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Cool on a rack and store, covered up to a week. Do not refrigerate.
* yellow cornmeal
Enjoy. When you make all these shortbread recipes next year, you will have a hard time picking your very most favourite. Is it the cheese? – of course. Is it the lemon? Yup! How about the pecan? Absolutely…..on and on. You can’t do it.
Corn Pancakes
Before you think this is a mistake, let me tell you why. Don and I are trying a NO pasta, NO potatoes, NO rice, NO flour and NO white sugar (as in cakes and cookies) regimen. We have been eating cornbread now for two weeks. Upon returning home this morning from Church, Don said let’s get inventive. I threw out (teasingly, of course) make waffles or pancakes. With that he altered his Mom’s recipe for pancakes and the result was absolutely amazing and darn good too!
In a medium size bowl combine :
- 1/2 cup corn flour,
- 1/2 cup cornmeal,
- 1 Tbsp. Baking Powder,
- 1 Tbsp. sugar,
- pinch of salt.
Set this aside.
In a separate bowl, beat one egg. Now alternately add 3/4 cup buttermilk with the flour mixture into the beaten egg. Mix until smooth. Don used a whisk; maybe that is why is was so good. Cook like any other pancake and add your butter and syrup.
Now you know why we are so married. He’s a wonderful; cook. Yup!
Taste Rating: 9