Food
Iron Skillet Corn Bread
Chef Mauro Pando
Grace’s Table
Napa, Calif.
Chef Mauro Pando elevates the flavor and texture of corn bread by blending creamed corn, sour cream and cheddar cheese into the batter. The kitchen then whips up a honey-lavender compound butter to serve with the warm corn bread wedges. It’s become a signature at Grace’s Table in Napa.
Ingredients
Corn bread
2 cups whole milk
2 cups creamed corn
8 oz. sour cream
2 eggs
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups cornmeal
¼ cup sugar
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter, melted
6 oz. sharp Cheddar cheese, grated
Honey-lavender butter
1 tbsp. ground dried lavender
1/3 cup honey
1 lb. butter, diced and softened
½ tsp. ground white pepper
Steps
- Preheat oven to 500 F. Place 8-cup capacity cast iron skillet in hot over for about 25 minutes to heat up.
- Meanwhile, in large bowl, whisk together milk, creamed corn, sour cream and eggs. In separate bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder baking soda and salt. fold cornmeal mixture into wet ingredients; stir in melted butter and grated cheese until well mixed.
- Remove skillet from oven; spray with nonstick cooking spray. Pour batter into prepared pan, filling ¼ inch from top. Reduce oven temperature to 425 F. Bake corn bread on flour of oven for 8 minutes. Move pan to center of oven and bake 15 to 15 minutes longer or until golden and just set.
- Remove from oven and let cool on wire rack. Remove corn bread from pan while still slightly warm; cool until easy to cut into wedges.
- Meanwhile, prepare honey-lavender butter: In small bowl, mix lavender into honey. Microwave until honey is warm; remove and allow to cool to room temperature to allow lavender to infuse honey. Blend honey and pepper into softened butter until thoroughly combine. Serve with warm corn bread.
Photo courtesy of California Milk Advisory Board