Rustic Cornbread

I firmly believe all things taste better in triangle form.

This year I have become especially enamored with corn. I took a break from enjoying any form of corn after watching this film:

(King Corn. )

But I truly love corn (call me American!), so now I try really hard to eat only organic corn, and to avoid products with unnecessary corn-derived ingredients in them. Corn on the cob, obviously, was a staple of mine growing up with a family who had a large garden. 

I have a lot of great memories of biting into freshly husked, raw ears of corn (after checking to eradicate all earwigs, of course). Corn chips I have always had a fondness for—but to be honest, it's only partly about the corn. The fried part is the other happiness there. Right? I'm not alone here. 

Polenta porridge (yellow grits), oven-roasted corn, and the epic grilled corn salsa all made it into my summer. Now that the weather has turned (I'm sorry, I'll eventually stop talking about that—well, no promises. Us Seattleites love to talk about the weather, mostly about how much we hate it), I'm looking for ways to use the oven to make delicious corn recipes. 

The original inspiration for this one was a recipe entitled "Texan Cornbread" and if anyone can illuminate to me why it is Texan in nature, I'd love it. I'm not from Texas, and in fact I've only been there once, so I am lacking in that department of knowledge.

Bacon fat in cold skillet.

The process of making this cornbread, to be warned, is not like cooking yeast bread, muffins, or cake, probably all those baked goods you are used to making. The separation of the fat from the batter creates a really unique texture, probably based out of old fashioned ease and necessity over aesthetics or flavor. But don't you just love those rustic touches? I love pioneer recipes, they are usually so humble. 

Thick batter: mix thoroughly.

Tool recommendations: a cast-iron skillet or pan and some arm muscles.

I couldn't resist a classic runny-egg shot...I know it's offensive, but so delicious...

Rustic Cornbread

Recipe adapted from New York Times Heritage Cookbook, an amazing book you should read or own. 

A rustic, simple cornbread.

Ingredients

• 1/4 c. bacon fat 
• 1 c. yellow cornmeal (fine, not coarse)
• 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2 t. kosher salt
• 2 t. baking powder
• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. milk
• 2 t. molasses

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place bacon fat into a cast-iron skillet (I used a 10" but a smaller one might be more effective) and into the oven to melt fat and heat pan.
3. Meanwhile, combine all dry ingredients, stirring well to mix.
4. Add all wet ingredients without fussing, straight into the dry. Mix well; batter will not be drippy.
5. Once bacon fat has melted, remove pan from oven and turn batter into pan, smoothing out evenly to the edges. Tilt pan around carefully to drizzle some of the fat on top of batter.
6. Put back in oven (remember your towel or potholder!) and bake for about 25 minutes, or until golden brown, darker around the edges, and springy in the middle.