insanely good cornbread

There is a pancake place in Hoboken that I sometimes go to on the weekends.  The pancakes are fantastic, but the wait for your food is long. (I know what you’re saying: “weren’t you just saying you don’t really like pancakes in your last post? ” I was, I was… but consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.  Also, I live with a 3 foot tall dictator.  I rarely get to pick the restaurant.) So they bring you cornbread to munch on while you wait.  It’s phenomenal, possibly even better than the pancakes.  And since the first time I tried it I’ve been trying to figure out what makes it taste so good. After testing a dozen cornbread recipes, the answer, it turns out, is butter.  An truly upsetting-to-think-about amount of butter.  But once you try it you are ruined for dry pasty cornbread forever. So try not to think about it, and do like I do and resolve to work out that day.  It’s worth it.

insanely good cornbread

adapted from Melissa Clark’s recipe from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite

ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1 c. corn kernels, frozen or fresh
• 1 c. unbleached flour
• 1 c. yellow stone ground cornmeal
• 1 tbl. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 & 1/4 c. whole milk yogurt
• 1 egg, at room temperature
• 2 tbl. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 375°.  Melt 1/2 stick(4 tbl.) butter in a cast iron skillet on the stove.  Stir in the corn kernels.  Sauté over medium heat until corn is tender, about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, sift flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl and whisk to combine.  In another bowl, whisk yogurt, egg, sugar and baking soda together.  Fold the cornmeal mixture into the yogurt mixture until just combined.  When corn is ready, fold that into the batter.  Melt the remaining butter in the skillet and let cook until butter starts to brown and smell nutty. Remove from heat and  pour the cornmeal batter into the skillet and smooth the top, letting the melted butter coat the top. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges start to brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve warm.