Picture
I love cornbread.  My dad used to make it all the time when we were kids, and eventually I took over and made it.  We would have a big pan of it sitting around to snack on.  We always used the standard recipe on the back of the corn meal container, which at the time seemed plenty good.

Then I met The Chef, who insisted he didn't like corn bread.  To me, that was a challenge.  I quizzed him about what he didn't like about it.  I figured out that he preferred his cornbread to be sweet and not dry and crumbly.  So I began trying out different recipes I would find in cookbooks and on the internet.  He didn't like any of them.  I realized I would have to create my own recipe.

So began my cornbread odyssey.  It took a lot of trial and error, but I finally came up with a recipe that he liked!  It's a sweet and tender cornbread that is simply delicious.  I'm really proud of this recipe because I created it entirely myself, so it's a Baker Original!  We've taken to calling it "Cornbread For People Who Claim Not To Like Cornbread".

Yesterday I wanted to make cornbread but I was undecided what to make with it.  I needed to drop M1 off at a guitar lesson.  While I was waiting for him to get ready I was perusing blogs.  Smitten Kitchen had just made some black bean soup and I was mentally slapping myself in the forehead... I LOVE black bean soup!  It's probably my favorite soup.  And, it would go so great with cornbread.

While M1 was at his lesson I ran over to the store and picked up the ingredients.  Then we picked up M1 and went back home to make the soup and cornbread.  I love the recipe she uses because you can cook the beans in a slow cooker, which is so convenient.  There's no need to soak the beans overnight.  I tend not to make black bean soup because I don't plan far enough in advance and by the time the craving hits I don't want to wait 24 hours.  So I do without or I buy a container of pre-made soup at the store.

I did a couple of things differently than Smitten Kitchen.  I don't like red and green peppers so I left them out.  Knowing that by not having the peppers the soup would probably be flat tasting I chose to use chipotle sauce, which contains tomato puree, to round out the flavor.  Because I used the sauce, and not just the chipotle pepper that she used, I used more than what she called for in her recipe.

I also garnished mine with some corn, queso fresco, mexican crema and cilantro... and a huge hunk of cornbread!  It's delicious and hearty.  A perfect meal to have on a cold day.  And, oh by the way, it gets even better then next day!

-The Baker

SWEET CORN BREAD:
yield: 8" x 8" pan

  • 1 C All-purpose Flour
  • 1 C Cornmeal
  • 2/3 C Sugar
  • 1 t Salt
  • 3 1/2 t Baking Powder
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 C Milk
  • 4 oz Butter
  • 1/4 C Honey
  1. combine all of the dry ingredients; whisk together
  2. combine milk, honey and butter; microwave until the butter has melted; remove from microwave and whisk in the egg
  3. add the milk mixture to the flour mixture; whisk together, just until combined
  4. pour into a buttered pan; bake at 400 F for 15 - 20 mins
BLACK BEAN SOUP:  (inspired by Smitten Kitchen)

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large red onion
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 16-ounce package dried black beans
  • small can of chipotle sauce (i used half of the can, which gives just a little after burn, but use more or less depending on how spicy or mild you like it)
  • 7 cups hot water
  • zest from 1 lime
  • juice from 1 fresh lime (use the lime you zested)
  • 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

  1. heat oil in saute pan
  2. add onions saute until they just start to brown; add garlic and cumin; stir
  3. transfer to 6-quart slow cooker; add beans and chipotle sauce, and hot water; over and cook on high until beans are very tender; it took my beans about four hours to get soft, but Smitten Kitchen's beans took just under three hours, so test them every hour after the first two hours of cooking
  4. when the beans are tender, scoop a couple of ladles into a blender; puree until smooth; puree as much of the beans as you like; the pureed beans will act as a thickener for the soup; i prefer a more pureed soup so i pureed most of the beans;
  5. add the pureed beans back to the beans in the slow cooker; add the lime zest, lime juice, and season with salt, and pepper to taste; because you didn't season the beans in the beginning you will probably find you need a lot more salt than you thought
  6. to serve, garnish each bowl with some fresh corn, queso fresco, mexican crema and fresh cilantro and a big hunk of cornbread
Abbi
1/19/2010 07:09:29 am

I love a good cornbread recipe...but ours will be paired with chili tonight. Keep 'em coming!

Reply
Anne Adams
1/21/2010 08:56:14 pm

First - I have been questing for a "perfect" cornbread for years and will try this soon. THANKS

Second - You have been holding out on us! This is a great site that more people need to get in on. Write on tart lady.

Reply
6/21/2010 07:40:07 pm

I wanted to thank you for this excellent read!! I surely enjoyed every single small little bit of it. I've you bookmarked your site to check out the new stuff you post.

Reply
11/7/2010 04:16:47 pm

There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire, the other is to gain it.

Reply
11/25/2010 04:46:19 pm

The calm sea, all the ships can and flooding auction wins. (~~

Reply
12/1/2010 09:18:38 am

Esta historia es muy útil. Realmente me gusta. Gracias por compartir con nosotros.*

Reply
12/14/2010 03:17:30 pm

The sky gives space and peace and serenity

Reply
1/19/2011 10:47:34 am

They were striving toward a new verse form and new artistic standards

Reply
1/27/2011 09:42:03 am

But this swift, beautiful animal is on the verge of extinction.

Reply
12/8/2011 10:37:50 am

Your text is very beautiful, and I have a lot of sentiment while enjoying the beautiful words.I never know the things you wrote in your articles. Thank you for making me happy and telling me the principle we do thing by in such way.

Reply
3/16/2012 04:41:10 pm

just as one Italian company, it specialized in development synthetic leather things in Italian fashion.

Reply
3/18/2012 01:47:09 pm

It was any hard to find entrance in the strain dealing with the actual 29-year-old driver from Roscoe, Ill.,

Reply
5/9/2012 05:00:11 pm

failure in the meaning of package are successful.

Reply
5/10/2012 07:36:32 pm

I was working and suddenly I visits your site frequently and recommended it to me to read also. The writing style is superior and the content is relevant. Thanks for the insight you provide the readers!

Reply
6/6/2012 12:39:25 pm

Awsome post and straight to the position. I don’t know if this can be essentially the most effective area to inquire but do you guys have any ideea exactly where to retain some specialist writers?
http://www.paulsmith-outlet.com

Reply
7/6/2012 12:53:17 pm

My goal is to return to their office once again shortly to see more which you have.

Reply
11/9/2012 07:05:38 pm

A perfect meal to have on a cold day.

Reply



Leave a Reply.