Cornbread, from an old recipe

I value our small collection of old cookbooks. I picked up our copy of the Amy Vanderbilt cookbook primarily because the 40s cookbook is illustrated by young commercial artist Andy Warhol; but over time, it's proven to be the go-to book in our collection for a variety of staples, and it has without a doubt the best chicken and dumpling soup recipe in the known universe. Another cookbook that has never failed to impress me is the American Heritage Cookbook, a two volume set of lore and recipes that is the holy grail for anyone interested in biscuits or cornbread as artforms. This book has impressed deeply upon me the understanding that preindustrial peoples had to make do with so much less, and what they accomplished was so impressive; it's easy to forget the foundation of world cuisines is ancient, many staples haven't changed at all over the centuries.

The recipe used here is not centuries old, but it is from a relatively old source (
365 Luncheon Dishes: A Luncheon Dish for Every Day in the Year, a cookbook published in 1902 that can be found on Project Gutenberg web site). Mama Lisa observes in her blog that it's hard to find a corn bread recipe that doesn't use buttermilk, and I know as well as anyone that's true; many times I've wanted to whip up cornbread to accompany a pot of chili only to discover there's no buttermilk to be found. I've substituted yogurt, milk and cream with a touch of lemon juice, even a little vinegar, with unpredictable results. So a cornbread recipe that calls for plain milk, and results in a tasty product, is a good one to have handy.

This one is a keeper. I prefer muffins to cakes when it comes to cornbread, so had to adjust the time accordingly (it took 30 mins instead of 45). I made half the muffins exactly as directed and they were delicious, made even more so adorned with butter and honey mixed together. To the other half of the batter I added about 2/3 cup of shredded sharp cheddar cheese, a finely diced fresh jalapeno and three finely sliced green onions, green parts only. These were fantastic, if I may say so myself, providing the perfect coounterpart to our spicy bean chili. I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

Excerpted here from the wonderful Mama Lisa's World Blog, in case it disappears someday.

I adapted this recipe from a cookbook dating back to 1902 called 365 Luncheon Dishes. 
Corn Bread Recipe
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Mix together 2 cups of cornmeal, 1 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 teaspoons of baking powder.
Beat together 3 eggs until thick and light. Add 2½ cup of milk and stir. Mix into the dry mixture. 
Then add in 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Beat well with a whisk until the batter is smooth.
Grease well two 8 x 5 inch pans (if you don’t grease them well, the bread will stick). Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake for about 45 minutes, until golden brown.
Enjoy!
Mama Lisa