I just finished reading A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from my Kitchen Table, by Molly Wizenburg. Wow…just wow! What a lovely food memoir. I devoured it whole and it’s haunted me in such a good way. Every recipe has a story behind it. A tradition. It makes me think of all of the recipes that I hold so dear. The ones that came from the women of my family…and the ones that I hope to impart on my children some day. Food has the power to bring people closer together and because I am half Italian I live by that.
I had a good laugh at the tale of her husband and his maple syrup loving habits. Mine looooves anything maple syrup related. You would be surprised at how fast he can polish off a box of maple candies. It’s the New England gene in him. He was born to love it. He doesn’t go as far as Buddy the Elf…but if I was gone for the weekend, I am pretty sure he’d be putting syrup on everything.
This cornbread is the most perfect medium for syrup. I think of it as a cross between cornbread, cream of wheat & polenta. The outside was nice and crusty and the inside was a perfect melty custard…in the same vein as a good slab of french toast. Boy did it soak up the syrup!! I made it last night and warmed it up in the oven this morning. It would be a perfect treat for your sleepover guests in the morning. What a beautiful thing to wake up to.
Take a look at that custard layer!
Here is a slab I cut out for myself this morning.
We doused it in maple syrup. Casey wondered if it was enough because it disappeared right into the bread.
So here’s our breakfast this morning! This is SO going in our rotation.
Thank you Molly & Brandon. Thank you for sharing your stories with me. Thank you for reminding me that food is the best foundation on which memories are built.
Custard Filled Corn Bread
(recipe Molly Wizenburg)
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal, medium ground
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons distilled vinegar
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Pure maple syrup, for serving
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 inch square pan. Put the buttered dish in the oven to warm while you make the batter.
In a large microwavable bowl, melt the butter in the microwave. Cool slightly.
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda.
When the butter has cooled a bit, add the eggs and whisk to blend well. Then add the sugar, salt, milk and vinegar and whisk well again. Whisking constantly, add the flour mixture. Mix until batter is smooth and no lumps are visible.
Remove the heated pan from the oven, and pour in the batter. Then pour the cream into the center of the batter. Do not stir. Carefully slide the pan back into the oven, taking care not to knock, and baked until golden brown on top, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Serve warm, with maple syrup.
