Sometimes A Little Cornbread Makes Everything Better

People. Do you know what occurred to me yesterday?

I have never shared my cornbread recipe with you.

I can’t even believe it. THREE YEARS I’ve been “writing” this interweb blogsite, and somehow I have neglected the cornbread. I mean, we’ve talked about butterbeans, about blackeyed peas, about pound cake – and heaven knows we’ve talked about fried chicken.

But the cornbread? Not so much. Frankly, I can’t help but feel that I’ve failed you. And I do apologize.

Because oh, I adore the cornbread. It’s one of the very best parts of fall and winter (along with flannel pajama bottoms, soft blankets, blazing fires and long-sleeved t-shirts). And over the years, I’ve taken the cornbread recipes from my mama, my friend NK’s mama, the back of the Martha White corn meal bag (not to mention the lovely Ms. Paula Deen) and blended them into some crazy amalgamation that sounds super-weird in theory but is utterly delicious in practice.

So. Before you make this cornbread, you need to know that there is one non-negotiable part of the process: a cast-iron skillet. You can’t pour this concoction into a Pyrex dish and expect to get anywhere near the optimal result. And if you don’t have a cast-iron skillet, run – RUN! – to your local hardware store and get one. It’s the best kitchen-related $20 you’ll ever spend, hallelujah.

I also think this is a critical component:

I’ve tried all the mixes. I’ve tried using corn meal and flour and salt. But this stuff is the best. It’s finely ground and makes a really dense cornbread. It can also be a little hard to find, but it’s worth tracking down. Because it’s special.

And with all that being said, the recipe:

2 cups White Lily White Cornmeal mix
2 eggs
1 cup creamed corn
1 cup sour cream
1 1/3 cups milk
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1/4 cup canola oil

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Put your skillet on top of your stove over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the canola oil, then sprinkle about 2-3 tablespoons of cornmeal mix on top. While the cornmeal mix is browning, mix together all your remaining ingredients in a bowl.

Once the oil is hot and the cornmeal is browned, pour about 1/2 of the oil from the skillet into your mixture, then return your skillet to the stove (CAREFUL! FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, BE CAREFUL!). Quickly stir your batter and pour all the batter into the skillet.

And then? THEN? It will sizzle like it’s on FI-IRE.

Let the skillet sit on the stove over medium heat for about two minutes (it’s making you a delicious crispy present). When the time’s up, put the skillet in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes.

And I don’t mean to taunt you or anything, but just look at the results: