Cornbread Infatuation

Cornbread. Oh, how I love cornbread. If I was a poet I would inscribe my love for cornbread on some ancient parchment in hopes that someone would turn it into a delightful song. If I was an artist I would paint, draw, sculpt the many ways in which cornbread has touched my life. Alas, I can do none of these thing so instead I bake.

Last week we received our copy of Food Network Magazine. I was super excited to find that Ree Drummond (aka the Pioneer Woman who's at the top of my blogging friend list) was featured in her super cool kitchen along with a few recipes for my beloved cornbread. After coveting Ree's counter tops I decided to make my culinary obsession. That night for dinner I made pan-seared herb chicken salad...

This salad is extremely easy to make. Make the chicken however you'd like. Sometime I grill it but this time I made it in the pan because of all the different things I was making at once. Tonight I used a romaine based salad mix but it tastes just as good with baby spinach leave. Add craisins, bacon, walnuts, blue cheese crumbles, and fresh raspberries. I usually top it off with Brianna's Raspberry Vinaigrette but this time I made a fresh citrus dressing with the Good Season's dressing packet. Here is the recipe:

Citrus Salad Dressing/Marinade

1/4 cup orange juice

3 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup oil (canola and oil are the best)

1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

1 packet of Good Seasons Italian All Natural Salad Dressing mix

I did not create this recipe. I merely found it on the Good Season's box. But it is very tasty.

And then there is the cornbread. Ahh... cornbread.

This time I made the cornbread in a cast iron skillet. It turned out really amazing and only took 20 minutes. I have yet to taste a fluffier, lighter-textured cornbread. Here it is straight out of the oven:

I dusted it with some sugar on top, which is a little unusual but it's because this time I topped it off with a freshly homemade strawberry jam. Oohh, the strawberry jam was nothing less than phenomenal. Alex and I have been day-dreaming about all the things we could put the jam on in the future.

It was like desert for dinner and yet it wasn't. This might just be my new strawberry shortcake. Or pancake topper. Or crepe filler. Or cupcake filling/frosting. 

Here is the recipe for both the cornbread and the strawberry jam. Both are the brainchild of Alex Guarnaschelli.

Skillet Cornbread with Strawberry Jam

FOR THE CORNBREAD

1 1/4 cups coarsely ground cornmeal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup whole milk

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

FOR THE JAM

1 pound strawberries, hulled and halved

1 lemon (but I used 2 since they were small)

Juice of half an orange (but I used 1/4 cup of OJ)

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup of sugar

1 Tablespoon unsalted butter

Step 1: Make the cornbread: Place a 9 inch cast-iron skillet in the oven ad preheat to 400 degrees. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder ad baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk the milk, buttermilk, eggs ad almost all the melted butter, reserving about 1 tablespoon for brushing the skillet, in a separate bowl. Add the wet to the dry. Mix well.

Step 2: Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven and brush the bottom and sides with the reserved melted butter. Pour the batter into the skillet, return to the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool 10-15 minutes, then sprinkle lightly with sugar for texture.

Step 3: Meanwhile, make the jam: Cut the strawberries width-wise into 1/4 inch thick slices (the slices should be think enough to bend slightly). using a vegetable peeler, remove the zest from 1/3 of the lemon with a light touch, leaving the pith behind; transfer to a large bowl. Squeeze the lemon juice into the bowl. Add the orange juice, salt, sugar and strawberries ad toss. Cover and refrigerate until the cornbread is out of the oven.

Step 4: Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the strawberry mixture and cook, stirring, until the juices reduce and thicken slightly, about 10-15 minutes. Slice the cornbread and top off with the strawberry jam. Serve. Eat. Love.

I promise. It is delicious.