Maple Sugar Cornbread
Mr. C. cutting brats and veggies
And checking the soup
The final product
OK, yesterday Mr. C. decided he wanted to fix dinner. (This doesn’t happen very often, and usually only if I’m ill, super busy, or have spent way too much time in the kitchen already and one more meal would drive me over the edge. (This too, doesn’t happen very often. But when it does, Mr. C. either offers to take me out, or he cooks dinner while I read a book, take a nap, or partake of an early double martini!)
Anyway, last evening he made soup – Bratwurst, Cannellini Bean, and Veggie Soup. He made this particular soup, mainly because we had leftover cooked brats in the freezer that had been there for a while. And Mr. C. is wonderful at keeping a close eye on the freezer contents. While I could go 6 years without noticing that forlorn, freezer burned, “whatever” lurking behind newer purchases. (I am not proud of this BTW.) (But it is the truth!) But back to this story.
As with most soups that include dried beans, you must start your soup early in the afternoon if you plan to eat dinner at any time before 9:00 pm. So, while he was chopping veggies at around 2:00 pm, I decided to make cornbread to go along with the soup. But why this cornbread when I already had so many other cornbread recipes already on this site?
Our dear friend Jim had recently made cornbread using maple sugar. (Yup, I didn’t know such a thing existed either.) So, the last time Jim and Margo were over for dinner, he brought his bottle of maple sugar along for me to try. Well, boy howdy, I’m here to tell you, if you like slightly sweet cornbread that comes with its own maple syrup flavor, this is the recipe for you. And not only is the flavor marvelous, but the texture of this cornbread is divine. And we all have Sue from theviewfromgreatisland.com site to thank. I did change the quantity of maple sugar and the preparation guidelines a bit, but the rest is all on Sue. But the real hero is Jim. So, once again, oh mighty master of all things culinary, thank you for sharing this new-to-me ingredient. (And yes, you can find maple sugar on Amazon.)
So, do not wait. Do not pass GO. Do not put off making this easy to prepare cornbread. Especially with Thanksgiving right around the corner. I can’t think of a tastier or easier to prepare bread to serve with turkey. Unless of course you are serving cornbread dressing. Then I would have to admit, two cornmeal dishes would be a bit of an overkill.
And before I’m done praising this cornbread, I should also mention that it is perfect with a side of eggs and bacon for breakfast. However you choose to serve this bread, you and your family are in for a treat.
Well, Mr. C. is off to make music at a retirement home in Seattle. I usually go to his gigs with him, but I have stopped going to retirement homes. The residents either think I’m one of them, or the people who run the place want to sign me up! I keep explaining I’m only 80, but they still insist on sending me home with a brochure!
So, instead, I will stay home and keep the home fire burning. (In my case, keep the thermostat set at 70-degrees.) And write up this recipe and post pictures of Mr. C. while he’s away. After all – while the cat’s away (and Mr. C. is a cool cat), the mice (Max, Miles, and I) will play!
But before I let you go, let me tell you about the book I just finished. (Actually, I’m not sure I finished the book, or the book finished me. It was a tough read from start to finish. But I am so glad I read It.) The name of the book is The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco.
Set in the year 1327. Franciscans in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns to the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, and the empirical insights of Roger Bacon to find the killer. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey (“where the most interesting things happen at night”) armed with a wry sense of humor and a ferocious curiosity.
So, there you go. A book, the likes of which, I have never read before.
And as always, peace and love to all. And Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
1 c. fine corn meal
1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed
¼ c. maple sugar*
¼ c. granulated sugar
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter
¾ c. buttermilk
¼ c. real maple syrup
cooking spray
Lightly coat a 9×9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Whisk the corn meal, flour, maple sugar, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt together in a large bowl.
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe mixing bowl. Then whisk in the buttermilk, maple syrup, and eggs.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Lumps are fine.
Scoop and spread the batter out evenly in the prepared pan.
Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 10 minutes, then turn down the temperature to 350-degrees and continue baking for another 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not overbake.
Remove from oven and place on a wire rack. Serve warm, or heated in your microwave, or at room temperature. Great when served with room temperature butter. Or for a special treat, drizzled with warm maple syrup.
*Maple sugar is a natural sweetener made from boiling maple syrup until the liquid evaporates and granular sugar remains. Maple sugar has a distinct maple flavor and can be used as a replacement for other sugar products like granulated or brown sugar.