Corn spoon bread
Originally uploaded by dynamist.
We had our Thanksgiving feast a night early, as some American friends were in town for the night, on their way to India. I spent four days testing recipes, baking and prepping ingredients before our party, but the level of enjoyment our guests had – in the food and in each other’s company – was worth all the time and effort.
I made 4kg of ham (poached in Coca-Cola, with a few cloves and a halved onion thrown in for the ride – always a hit), two massive turkey breasts, roast rosemary potatoes, cranberry sauce for the bird, pineapple chutney for the pig, green bean salad, corn spoon bread, four pumpkin pies, two kinds of pumpkin bread, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and my friend Nancy Rommelmann’s white balls (pecan sandies which ended up as white cookies, because my butter was too soft when I made them, but still tasted like the white balls according to a guest who’s had them). We also had rye bread, wholemeal bread, and bagged green salad, none of which I made myself.
The biggest revelation for me was the corn spoon bread, which was another recipe I found in the Thanksgiving issue of Real Simple. It was ridiculously easy, and received many compliments. The recipe isn’t online, so here’s how you make it:
Drain a large tin of sweetcorn, then add it to two cups of whole milk in a large saucepan. Bring this to the boil, while you whisk 3/4 cup of finely ground cornmeal (or polenta – same thing, really) with another cup of whole milk in a bowl. Once the milk and corn are boiling, add the milk and polenta mixture slowly, while whisking the entire time. Turn the heat down to a gentle simmer and allow to cook for three minutes. Remove from the heat and add two tablespoons of butter, two lightly beaten eggs, a tablespoon of fresh thyme, one and a half teaspoons of salt, and a quarter teaspoon of black pepper. Stir to combine well, but don’t beat. Pour the mixture into a buttered casserole or cast iron skillet, and bake for a half hour at about 180 Celsius (150-ish if you’ve got an electric fan-assisted oven, as I do).
(I remembered that whole recipe off the top of my head, just so you know how simple it is.)
The end result is not-quite-bread, not-quite-pudding. It is delicious, and I made two of them; good thing, as I had almost none leftover when everyone had finished eating. It goes perfectly with a Thanksgiving meal, but I think that something more restrained – say, a helping of the ham, some green beans, and some spoon corn bread – would be worth making on any chilly day. This can also be eaten at room temperature, so it’s perfect for buffets. (I reheated mine for a half hour in a low oven, just because I have two ovens and I’m not afraid to use them, dammit.)