Cooking Lesson #694: Old-Fashioned Spoon Bread

…from the Perspectives’ Holiday Kitchen

How you doin’? Corn is my favorite vegetable. Anything made with corn goes to the top of my like file. Even yesterday I had a dinner of fried chicken (breaded in cornmeal) and cornmeal waffles. That’s a SoCal dinner feast in East LA.
 
It stands to reason that I also like cornbread and Old-fashioned Spoon Bread. Spoon Bread is like a Southern mashup of cornbread and Yorkshire pudding—it’s a bread so creamy, buttery, and moist that you need a spoon to serve it up…  Hence, the name. You may have also heard it referred to as corn casserole or corn pudding. My version has a cakier texture but is still super light, spongy, and utterly irresistible.
Like a lot of American fare, spoon bread has Native American origins, although the food histories are a bit conflicted. It’s said to have evolved from awendaw, a similar, pudding-like dish of hominy grits and cornmeal that shares its name with an area of the South Carolina Lowcountry once inhabited by the indigenous Sewee people. In fact, the first published version of the recipe appears in The Carolina Housewife by Sarah Rutledge, 1884.
Spoon bread has been a culinary mainstay of Virginia, Kentucky, and the Carolinas for years. Chefs and home cooks have created numerous variations on its corny theme with additions like cheese, chiles, and even chorizo. This recipe, however, is all about the corn. It calls for not only cornmeal, but also frozen corn and creamed corn—a trifecta of sweet, creamy goodness. The creamed corn also works wonders with both sour cream and a stick of butter to make the crumb as rich and airy as can be. It’s a delightful juxtaposition to the delicate vegetal crunch of the whole kernels.
Spoon bread is a great side dish for everyday or holiday dinners—especially when you’re craving an extra helping of comfort food during these difficult times. It’s the perfect side dish alongside fried chicken and collard greens… or Thanksgiving Turkey. Please trust me, you won’t be disappointed.
 
Prep time:  15 minutes
Bake time:  40 to 45 minutes
Reheat time:  30 minutes (whole pan)
Yield:  6 to 8 servings
 
Ingredients
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided, plus more for rubbing the baking dish
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 8-ounce can creamed corn
1-1/3 cups frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs, beaten
 
Directions
1.    Preheat an oven to 375° F.
2.    Butter a 2-quart or 8 X 8-inch baking dish with butter.
3.    In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cornmeal, granulated sugar, kosher salt and baking powder. Set aside.
4.    In a large bowl, mix together 8 tablespoons of the melted unsalted butter, together with the creamed corn and the thawed corn kernels.
5.    Add the sour cream and eggs and mix until thoroughly combined.
6.    Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.
7.    Transfer the batter to the prepared baking dish.
8.    Bake until the top is golden brown, the center is set and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.
9.    Cool for 5 minutes. Brush the spoon bread with the remaining 2 tablespoons melted butter.
10. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Store:  The spoon bread may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

ChefSecret:  Preparing Holiday dinner can be taxing with all that has to be prepared and come together at the same time. Spoon bread can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. You can reheat it by covering the baking dish with foil and slide it in a 300° oven until it’s warmed through, about 30 to 35 minutes.

Quip of the Day:  “I was watering the other day when a nice old man asked me for a little spoon. So, I gently lay him down and hugged him from behind.” Get it? Spooning!
 
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

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