Chef notes
Cornbread is one of my favorite things to eat and, contrary to what you may think, it can also be a flavorful, simple dessert and a great vehicle to showcase the berries of summer, like amazing organic blueberries. This recipe is based on Southern cornbread, which is sweeter and more cake-like in texture, compared to Northern cornbread, which is drier and has more of a crumble.
Technique tips: If you don't have a small hand mixer, you can use a fork or even your hand to mash berries, or leave whole and it will still be delicious. Same with a stand mixer for whipped cream: You can use a bowl and whisk to do it.
Ingredients
- 1 cup blueberries
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 whole eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup water
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- honey, for serving (optional)
Preparation
For the blueberries:
In a small mixing bowl, start macerating the blueberries with lemon juice and sugar, and let that sit.
For the cornbread:
1.Preheat oven to 350 F and spray an 8-inch cast-iron pan with nonstick spray.
2.In a medium-sized bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, baking powder and sugar.
3.In another medium-sized bowl, mix together the eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, water and melted butter.
4.Slowly start to add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking at the same time. The mixture might seem lumpy but that's OK.
5.With a small hand blender, start to puree the blueberries, leaving some small chunks of berry. Stir the blueberries into the batter.
6.Pour batter into the cast iron and place into the oven; let bake for about 25 to 30 minutes.
7.Once the cornbread is done baking, let it cool at room temperature until cool enough to handle.
For the whipped cream:
To a stand mixer bowl, add the heavy cream and vanilla and start to whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form.
To serve:
Spread the whipped cream in the middle of the cornbread and drizzle honey over top.
