Cornbread

Directions

1. 1
   Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 F.
2. 2
   Put the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, and whisk to combine.
3. 3
   In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and milk.
4. 4
   Add the egg mixture to the cornmeal mixture, and stir until just combined.
5. 5
   If adding fresh corn to the batter: Husk the ears of corn, pull off the cornsilk, and cut the kernels from the cobs (see page 89); there should be about 2 cups.
6. 6
   Stir the kernels into the batter.
7. 7
   Warm a heavy 10-inch ovenproof pan, preferably a cast-iron skillet, over medium-high heat.
8. 8
   (A cast-iron pan produces a crispy brown crust, but you can also use a heavy nonstick pan.)
9. 9
   Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the skillet, swirl to coat the pan, and add the batter.
10. 10
    Put the pan in the oven and bake until the cornbread is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
11. 11
    Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, then lift the cornbread out of the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.
12. 12
    Rub the remaining 1 tablespoon butter on top.
13. 13
    Allow the cornbread to cool for at least 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.
14. 14
    To make buttermilk cornbread, use 1 3/4 cups buttermilk instead of the milk.
15. 15
    For a spicy cornbread, add chopped fresh chile peppers to the batter.