IS SOUTHERN SPOONBREAD A PUDDING, A CUSTARD, a casserole, or a veritable bread? Should it contain baking powder, salt, and sugar? Can it actually be prepared as a bread, or is it always served as a vegetable side dish and eaten with a spoon? No Southern dish is shrouded in such mystery. Although the name supposedly derives from an Indian word for porridge (suppone), there’s really no mention of spoonbread in cookbooks till the turn of the twentieth century. Did the cornmeal dish evolve from the much earlier mush breads or batter breads? Whatever its origins, I was raised eating spoonbread, both at breakfast (with fried country ham and red-eye gravy) and as a dinner side dish, and I’ve had it at various locales in the South enhanced with everything from diced ham to bell peppers to bourbon to different cheeses. I must have a dozen recipes for spoonbread, but this one with extra-sharp cheddar cheese is probably my favorite. I usually serve the dish with any meat and gravy, fried seafood, or plain roast chicken, and on brunch buffets, but the truth is that spoonbread is wonderful with everything and at any time.
MAKES: 4 to 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup white cornmeal
- 2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the cornmeal, water, and salt.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted; the mixture will be thick.
- Add the milk, beaten eggs, and melted butter to the mixture. Stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Scrape the mixture into a medium-sized buttered baking dish.
- Bake the cornmeal mixture in the preheated oven until the inside is firm but still moist and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes.
- Serve the cornmeal dish hot.
