By Martha Rose Shulman
- Total Time
- 1 hour 15 minutes
- Rating
- 4(116)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Spoonbread, a traditional Southern dish, is sort of a cross between a soufflé and polenta — a light, fluffy mixture of cornmeal, water, milk and eggs. You could serve it as a vegetarian main dish or as a side. I like to bake this in a well-seasoned cast iron skillet.
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Ingredients
Yield:6 to 8 servings
- 1cup water
- ¾teaspoon salt
- 130grams (1 cup) cornmeal, fine or medium, but not coarse
- 2cups milk (1 percent or 2 percent)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3eggs, separated
- Kernels from 1 ear of corn or ¾ cup frozen corn optional
- 2jalapeños, seeded if desired and minced
- 2ounces Gruyère cheese, grated ½ cup optional
For the Jalapeño Spoonbread
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
176 calories; 9 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 319 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
For the Jalapeño Spoonbread
Step
1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil or butter a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet or a 2-quart soufflé dish or baking dish.
Step
2
Combine the water, milk and salt in a heavy medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Slowly add the cornmeal in a very thin stream while stirring all the time with a whisk or a wooden spoon. Turn the heat to low and stir for 10 to 15 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
Step
3
One at a time, stir in the egg yolks, then add the optional cheese and corn kernels, and the jalapeños.
In a medium bowl or in the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium until they form stiff but not dry peaks. Stir ¼ of the egg whites into the cornmeal mixture and gently fold in the rest. Scrape into the prepared baking dish. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes until spoonbread is puffed and beginning to brown. Serve at once. Chill leftovers.
Tips
- Variation: If you don't want the spice of the jalapeno, sautee a diced green bell pepper in a tablespoon of olive oil until tender and stir into the cooked cornmeal instead of the jalapeno
- Advance preparation: This is best served right away before it collapses. But the leftovers are delicious. Once this is cooled, you can cut it into wedges. You can reheat, serve at room temperature or brown slices or squares in a little oil.
Ratings
4
out of 5
116
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Cooking Notes
Gleaner
Served with M. Clark's black bean chorizo stew/chile. Both came together with ingredients in my pantry and some minor subs: for the milk I used half hemp and half 1/2 and 1/2. Keep the seeds in the jalepenos and use cheese (I didn't have any frozen corn but the textural contrast would be good). It's very light but filling.
Alan
The jalapeños are a must. Consider adding black pepper and smoked paprika too, maybe even red pepper flake. If using a baking dish, such as oval au gratin, the baking time will be closer to 45 minutes.
Aaron
Maybe would have worked better in a wider dish, but flavor was pretty bland
Cynthia
Meh. I was surprised by how bland this dish was, even though I used jalapeños, cheese, and corn, as well as bit of extra salt + some freshly ground black pepper... (And I definitely had to cook longer than 30 minutes at 350 degrees for it to be fully cooked and brown on the top - more like 45 minutes.)
Sardino
Formless, mushy mess. Mixture never formed up into a bread or browned. Next time, just make cheddar jalapeno cornbread.
Gleaner
Served with M. Clark's black bean chorizo stew/chile. Both came together with ingredients in my pantry and some minor subs: for the milk I used half hemp and half 1/2 and 1/2. Keep the seeds in the jalepenos and use cheese (I didn't have any frozen corn but the textural contrast would be good). It's very light but filling.
Erin
This was an interesting recipe, at least for me, who has never heard of spoonbread before. The taste fine, though the jalapenos did not add enough heat for me (they seem to be hit or miss).
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