Recipe developed and contributed by Maureen Gualtieri
Spring is getting busy – and I’ve decided to start packing maximum nutrition into the gaps in my menus to keep us going! Hence this month’s recipe, which takes the most faithful of chili or soup sides – cornbread – and piles it with fresh herbs, veggies, and extra protein in the form of a delightfully smoked cheese. Add DFC’s Maple Root Beer BBQ sauce, and this humble bread turns into a sustaining flavour bomb that more than holds its own at the table. Enjoy warm, with your favourite chili (link: https://dfcbbq.com/recipes/sauces/carolina-chili/) or baked beans (link: https://dfcbbq.com/recipes/sauces/bbq-baked-beans/).
Loaded BBQ Cornbread
(Yield: 8 servings)
1 c (125g) all-purpose flour
1 c (105g) masa harina (instant corn flour)
3 tsp (12g) baking powder
1 tsp (2g) kosher salt
1 tsp (7g) brown sugar
1 c (115g) smoked cheese, diced
1/2 c (15g) fresh cilantro, minced
1 c (100g) corn kernels, thawed if frozen
1 tbsp (1g) fresh cracked black pepper
1.5 c (445ml) 2% milk
2 eggs
approx 4 tbsp (100g) unsalted butter, divided
1/4 c (40g) DFC’s Maple Root Beer BBQ sauce
Preheat your oven, with a 9-inch cast iron skillet inside, to 425 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients. Add your chunky mix-ins – cheese, cilantro, corn kernels, and pepper – and toss them well to coat. (Covering them in dry ingredients helps prevent them from sinking in the finished bread.) In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Tip the mixture, and half the melted butter, into the dry ingredients and mix until you have a pourable but not too thin batter. (If you’ve gone the other way, and it’s too thick, add a couple of splashes of extra milk and mix until you like the feel of it!)
Retrieve your hot cast iron from the oven, and swirl the other half of the melted butter in it until the bottom is coated. It should bubble up and start browning deliciously! Pour in your batter and spread out evenly with the bottom of a spoon if it needs encouragement. Dollop teaspoons of DFC’s Maple Root Beer BBQ sauce on top, and give it a good swirl to make a pretty marbling effect. Pop the batter back into the oven and bake until deep golden and it smells amazing, about 25 minutes. When done, cool for about 10 minutes, then serve slices at the table right out of the cast iron, for a dramatic presentation!
