All-Purpose Corn Bread

I’ve always loved corn bread, but Seth isn’t the biggest fan so I rarely make it. This is another recipe from my America’s Test Kitchen cookbook and was recommended by my sister, Annie. It’s a perfect middle-of-the-road corn bread as it’s not really sweet or savory which makes it just right for everything! I grew up eating corn bread for breakfast topped with dark corn syrup and it’s still one of my favorite ways to eat it. And of course it goes perfectly with my favorite chili!

“Before preparing the baking dish or any of the other ingredients, measure out the frozen corn kernels and let them stand at room temperature until thawed. When corn is in season, fresh cooked kernels can be substituted for the frozen corn. This recipe was developed with Quaker yellow cornmeal; a stone-ground whole grain cornmeal will work but will yield a drier and less tender corn bread. We prefer a Pyrex glass baking dish because it yields a nice golden brown crust, but a metal baking dish (nonstick or traditional) will also work. The corn bread is best served warm; leftovers can be wrapped in foil and reheated in a 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes.”

• 1½ cups (7½ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (about 5 ounces) yellow cornmeal (see note)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed (see note)
• 1/4 cup packed (1¾ ounces) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Whisk the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl until combined; set aside.

Process the buttermilk, thawed corn kernels, and brown sugar in a food processor or blender until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the eggs and process until well combined (corn lumps will remain), about 5 seconds longer.

Using a rubber spatula, make a well in the center of the dry ingredients; pour the wet ingredients into the well. Begin folding the dry ingredients into the wet, giving the mixture only a few turns to barely combine; add the melted butter and continue folding until the dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish; smooth the surface with a rubber spatula. Bake until deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 25 to 35 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes; invert the corn bread onto the wire rack, then turn right side up and continue to cool until warm, about 10 minutes longer. Cut into pieces and serve.

From: The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001-2013

Mexican Corn and Poblano Soup

As is quite frequently my luck when shopping for required recipe ingredients, my grocery store was fresh out of poblano peppers. Darn it. Having used them before I knew they were quite mild, so I decided to go with Anaheim peppers instead. And since they were smallish, I used 4 instead of 2. Anaheim peppers are actually a little hotter than poblanos, but the resulting soup was pleasantly spicy. So I guess what I’m saying here is, you could use Anaheim peppers if you can’t find poblanos.

I chose to go the broiler route to char all my onions and peppers, and I’d say it took approximately 3-5 minutes per side until they were done. Which was fine because this left my hands free to prep the rest of the ingredients. I thought this soup had a great flavor and Seth and I promptly ate the entire batch in one sitting. So if you’re cooking for your family, might want to double or triple this one.

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Hashbrown Corn Chowder

This was a delicious take on your typical corn chowder. Not much prep here as far as chopping vegetables, but loads of flavor as a pay-off. I did add a bit of seasoning as the finished product was slightly sweeter than my liking, but nothing too drastic. Some extra salt, a few grinds of fresh black pepper, and a couple shakes of Tabasco made this into a bowl of pure comfort food!

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Golden Summer Squash Soup

I know. Who in the hell makes soup in the summer? Me apparently. But it uses summery ingredients and tastes delicious so it’s ok. Trust me.

This stuff really didn’t look super appetizing as I was making it. Chunks of squash floating in chicken broth don’t exactly please the eye. BUT, after it was pureed and some thyme, corn, and goat cheese were added, this soup looked like a gourmet meal. And it was. I’m sure there are many of you out there with loads of yellow squash on your hands. This is a great way to use a little of it. This made two bowls of soup, so enough for the main course for two people. If you’re cooking for the family, you’ll definitely want to at least double the recipe. Heating up the stove is worth it for this one. I promise.

p.s. This soup could easily be made vegetarian by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

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Corn Chowder

A couple of weeks ago Seth and I stopped in at Mimi’s for lunch where I ordered a half turkey sandwich with a small bowl of corn chowder. Somehow that corn chowder hit just the right spot and I knew I needed to make my own.

I don’t think I’ve ever made corn chowder before, but it was way easy and so delicious! It had the perfect amount of sweetness and crunch from the corn and a nice complement of salty from the bacon. Did I mention it has thyme in it too? This is another recipe from my America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook of which I’m sure I’ll be making again. The soup can be made with either fresh or frozen corn which makes it the perfect year-round recipe!

 

America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Serves 6

2 pounds frozen corn
4 slices bacon, chopped fine
1 onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
12 ounces red potatoes (2 medium) scrubbed and cut into 1/4 –inch cubes
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Salt and Pepper

Cook the bacon in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, blend half of the frozen corn in a blender with the 3 cups of chicken broth until smooth.

Add the onion to the bacon and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Slowly stir in the milk, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in the potatoes, corn puree, bay leaves, thyme and remaining corn. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes.

Stir in the cream. Continue to simmer until the corn kernels are tender yet still slightly crunchy, about 5 minutes. Discard the bay leaves. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.