Mr. Larry’s Skillet Cornbread
Photograph by Sandy Rivlin • Food and Prop Styling by Jeanie Gruber
Meeting Mr. Larry
No matter what, so remains the Cornbread Champion. Every time I look at Larry’s WISHDISH I want to hop up and make it so I can have it for supper (what I now call dinner having lived up north a good long spell of time). Southerners eat this as a full course meal—no need for another protein unless you desire it, for example, as a side with some good creole pork chops. Just a generous serving of mustard greens on top of a bed of Louisiana prepared white rice (served in a medium sized bowl) with a fork and an ample sized piece of Skillet Cornbread balanced on the rim of your bowl and you’ll be so satisfied! Right before finishing your first bowl full, you might even find yourself tossing in varied sized cornbread “croutons” to savor those last bites. Take a minute or two to rest, then you are certain to head to the stove for your second helping.
Mr. Larry’s Skillet Cornbread Recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 25 minutes
Larry’s recipe for his skillet cornbread just needed a few additional ingredients, but he certainly remembered the core. In doing my research I learned that “Skillet Cornbread” can be either cooked on top of the stove on a burner, or as I had always learned, in a heavy cast iron skillet baking in the oven.
Ingredients:
• 1 c. Yellow Cornmeal
• 1/2 c. All Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp. Salt
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• Red pepper or Cajun spices (if you so desire)
• 1 c. Buttermilk
• 1/2 c. Milk
• 1 Egg
• 1 8 oz Can Drained Corn or 1 Cup of Fresh Corn
• 1/4 c. Butter (melted for mixture)
• 2 tbsp. Butter (for greasing skillet)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place the cast iron skillet in the oven to warm it up. Mix dry ingredients in a small bowl including the Cornmeal, Flour, Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt, and Cajun spices if desired. In a separate large bowl mix the wet ingredients including the Buttermilk, Milk, Egg, and Corn. Add your dry mixture to the wet mixture stirring gently until nicely integrated, do not over stir. Add 1/4 cup melted butter to this mixture then stir until fully mixed. Add 2 tbsp. butter to your oven-warmed skillet. Pour the entire mixture of batter into the skillet. Reduce the oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake covered with aluminum foil for about 15 minutes. Uncover and cook for 10 minutes or so until the top is golden brown and the center appears done. Try to not overbake or your Cornbread will become dry.
