Recipes

Southern Cornbread

Ezekiel Preedin, Chef & Honey Bee Gardens contributor

2½  c Coarse Stone Ground Yellow Cornmeal (Local Farm or Bob's Red Mill)

2½ c all-purpose flour

½ c granulated sugar

4 t baking powder

1 t baking soda

1 T salt

2 whole eggs, farm fresh

½ c mayonnaise

3½ c buttermilk

1 c cheddar cheese

1 c fresh or frozen corn (off the cob)

Finishing Glaze: Honey Butter

8 T butter (Local Farm/Amish)

4 T Honey Bee Garden's honey or other local honey

Mix Dry Ingredients; In a separate bowl, whisk eggs until fully blended. Whisk in the mayonnaise. Slowly whisk in Buttermilk until fully incorporated. Mix wet into dry. Fold until fully incorporated. Do not over mix. Fold in cheddar and corn. Grease cast iron pan with a pad of butter or bacon fat. Optional: Line pan with course yellow corn meal (polenta grind is best), this gives an added crunch to the crust. You can use this technique for muffins too!

Add batter to pan, melt butter slowly and incorporate fresh honey. Use pastry/BBQ brush to apply Honey Butter while cornbread is still warm. Finish with Maldon/Flake Sea Salt. Recipe Yield: 12" Cast Iron Pan or 30 muffins (paper liners are not necessary for muffins). 

Modifications:

Fresh Jalapeños (3, seeded and diced small); Pickled Jalapeños (1 c chopped); Green Onions (1 bunch or 4-6 stalks sliced (greens only) mix into batter and reserve some to garnish the top; Bacon (mix in 1 c of crispy chopped bacon); Bacon (top with ½ c of crispy finely chopped bacon); Fresh/Dry Herbs (add ¼ c of herbs to batter).