Mark Bittman's Lighter, Richer Corn Bread

Here I am, sitting in the evening dark on my birthday, sporting my birthday presents: a jeans skirt I bought for myself, new brown flip-flops from Sannali, and How To Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman, the green bible of vegetarian cooking. Since beginning to cook vegetables, I have acquired three new vegetable cookbooks, all of which give a different spin to the vegetable quest.

Today Dr. A. asked me to make some cornbread for her dinner for the missionaries. They love the Simplex! Or is it that the Simplex loves cooking for them? The night before I had been flipping through Bittman and thinking about the Moosewood cornbread, so I decided to try out Bittman's cornbread and compare the two. I made the "lighter, richer" version offered by Bittman, but I'll give the standard version here and the modifications.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups buttermilk, milk, or yogurt (or 1 1/4 cupes milk plus 1 tablespoon white vinegar; see Step 2), plus more as needed
2 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups medium-grind cornmeal
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar, plus more if you like sweet corn bread
1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.

2. If you're using buttermilk, milk, or yogurt, ignore this step. If not, make the soured milk: warm the milk gently-- 1 minute in the microwave is sufficient, just enough to take the chill off-- and add the vinegar. Let it rest while you prepare the other ingredients.

3. Put the butter in a medium ovenproof skillet or an 8 inch square baking pan over medium heat; heat until good and hot, about 2 minutes, then turn off the heat. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl. Mix the egg into the buttermilk. Stir the liquid into the dry ingredients (just enough to combine); if it seems too dry, add another tablespoon or two of buttermilk. Pour the batter into the prepared skillet or pan, smooth out the top if necessary, and put in the oven.

4. Bake about 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned and the sides have pulled away from the pan; a toothpick inserted into the center will come out clean. Serve hot or warm.

Lighter, Richer Corn Bread: Use 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) or butter (do not use other fat). Increase the sugar to 1/4 cup. Use 2 eggs; stir their yolks into the milk and beat the whites until stiff but not dry, the gently stir them into the prepared batter after the yolks and milk have been incorporated.

Corny Corn Bread: You have some options here: Add 1 cup of fresh or frozen corn kernels or about a cup or creamed corn to the liquid ingredients in Step 3.

Corn and Bean Bread: Use 2 eggs and 1 cup buttermilk or soured milk; omit the white flour. Stir 1 1/2 cups well-cooked white beans (canned are fine), pureed and strained, into the milk-egg mixture before adding to the dry ingredients. (Mark Bittman loves this one.)

Personally, I found the texture of the corn bread a bit disappointing and the flavor too sweet and not salty enough, although I think that the average eater would be pleased enough with the cornbread. The dinner guests ate it with enthusiasm. I used half buttermilk, half yogurt and the full measure of sugar, but only 2 T. of butter. The buttermilk added an interesting flavor, and the butter melted in the pan gave the crust a very rich crispiness that was tasty. But I think I'm just too habituated to the coarser, simpler corn bread of my youth. Sigh.

I think it's time to go back to the Moosewood. Or home.