Baked in a cast iron skillet and turned out on a small Fiesta pizza tray.
It is a lovely colour and we liked it OK, but I will probably not make this particular recipe again. I'm glad I tried it and will likely try adding sweet potatoes to my regular cornbread recipe. The biggest problem for us is the ratio of flour and cornmeal in the recipe. Traditional southern recipes for cornbread use little to no wheat flour. The texture is very different. Tonight's bread had a very smooth, almost cake-like texture. We prefer the more coarse texture of a recipe that is mostly cornmeal. But in case anyone else would like to try it, I will post the recipe as I got it and note my changes.
Sweet potatoes from the veggie box
Baked and ready to mash. I use my paternal grandmother's potato masher. IMO, this style works better than any other.
Juicing an orange. I love this Braun juicer. First saw it years ago when Ina Garten used it on The Barefoot Contessa on FNTV.
Equal parts flour and cornmeal. I was afraid we wouldn't be too happy with the texture.
The cornbread batter. The addition of the sweet potatoes make it a lovely colour.
| Sweet Potato Cornbread 1½ cups yellow cornmeal 1½ cups white flour 2 tablespoons baking powder ¼ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cardamom 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup butter ½ cup brown sugar 2 eggs 2 tablespoons orange juice 2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes ½ cup milk 1 cup frozen corn (thawed) Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. In a mixer, cream butter until fluffy (about 1 minute). Add brown sugar and mix briefly. Add eggs, orange juice, sweet potatoes and milk. Mix until smooth. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in corn. Coat two 9-inch pans with cooking spray and pour batter into them. Bake about 20 to 30 minutes until firm or until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool before serving. Makes about 16 slices. Notes: 1. I halved the recipe to make this a better size for our family. 2. Omitted the cinnamon, cardamom and corn because I didn't want those flavours in the bread to go with the greens tonight. 3. Southerners bake cornbread in a cast iron skillet. Preheat the skillet on the stove and add a tablespoon of oil. Pour the batter into the hot skillet so that it will have a nice crust. Then place the skillet in the preheated oven. |
I had some sweet potatoes and orange juice leftover so I made a little sweet potato soufflé. To the mashed sweet potatoes I added the oj, a beaten egg, a little milk, salt, and some sugar. Put it in an individual Fiesta pie baker and topped it with pecans and a little brown sugar. Then dotted with butter and baked it along with the cornbread. It was delicious!
The cornbread and the soufflé. Yellow and orange food are really set off by the sapphire Fiesta.
Well I'm not southern but I have always baked my cornbread in a cast iron skillet! So did my mom, but I had never heard of heating the skillet up first before, I may have to try that! I never have any problems with a good crust but this would probably speed up the baking time some!
ReplyDeleteAnd that sweet potato souffle looks delish! I love sweet potatoes too and never seem to fix them! Hmmm, Turkey Day is coming up!
Oh, I'm so glad you know the right way to make cornbread. A foodie friend of mine in the Nashville area and I have both noticed recipes lately that call for baking the cornbread in baking pans. I really like the way the crust turns out when you pour the batter in the heated skillet. Not sure where that originated, but all the women in my family (back 4 generations that I know of) have done it.
ReplyDeleteYou should cook some sweet potatoes. I've always been more fond of having pecans and brown sugar on top instead of marshmallows. I also don't put much sugar in the potato mixture. My paternal grandmother had a recipe that used orange juice in them, and stuffed the mixture back in the orange shells to bake. She topped some with pecans and some with mini marshmallows. Then to serve them she would put them around the turkey on the huge platter. You think the new 19" platter will accomodate all that? She only fixed them that way at Thanksgiving.
I have never been a fan of sweet potatoes, but every Thanksgiving I do eat my share. I think OJ would be a great addition.
ReplyDeleteI have never used my cast iron skillet for cornbread. I will definitely have to try that next time. I love me some good cornbread!
Please tell me where you bought your Braun juicer. I cannot find anywhere.
ReplyDeleteHi Staci. I have had my Braun juicer for many years. When I got bought mine it was readily available at several stores and I honestly don't remember where I got it. I hope you can find one. They turn up sometimes on eBay.
ReplyDelete