Tag: cornbread

Michelle Shellabarger: Scarborough Fair Dressing {Foodie Friday}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sages via thepanamamama.com

Dressing is something that defines a family. A simple comfort food made from leftover bread to stretch an expensive meal (typically using what type of bread you had available so in the south- cornbread, in the north- wheat bread.) You can almost guess where someone’s grandma hails from by what type they serve you (dressing, stuffing, cornbread, white bread, fruits, nuts, oysters, chicken, chestnuts…)

YinYangBread via thepanamamama.com

When we started hosting our family holidays we had an unexpected conflict on what we would serve- an all white bread dressing with nuts like my Canadian grandma made or a total traditional cornbread dressing like my husband’s grandmother made? Everyone wanted their personal favorite and so compromise was needed. Thus, I came up with a yin-yang combination dressing that seems to please everyone! READ MORE

 

Cornbread Dressing/Scarborough Fair Dressing via thepanamamama.com

 

 

¡Hola!  I’m Michelle. I grew up mainly in the Republic of Panamá, and moved to Arkansas for love. I started blogging in 2007 and I’m still here blogging about trying to live the green life in the city with my four kids, a big dog, and some chickens and about our love of travel! Come visit me at Tales from a Panama-Mama, to see what craziness we’re up to!  Connect with me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter.

Matt McClure’s Buttermilk Cornbread with Sorghum Butter

matt mcclure

We are extremely fortunate that Executive Chef Matt McClure of Bentonville’s 21C Museum Hotel The Hive Restaurant will be one of our featured speakers at the Foodie Friday pre conference of Megaphone Summit 2016 to be held at the absolutely beautiful Pratt Place Inn and Barn in Fayetteville.

Pratt Place Inn Veranda

Those of you who had the privilege to enjoy Matt’s presentation at the 2014 Foodie Friday session held at NWACC will remember what a joy he was. And I’m sure many of you have continued to enjoy his okratouille and chicken recipes he shared with us that day.

Matt was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, where his passion for food was ignited by hunting, fishing and his grandmother’s cooking. Following a stint at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, he settled in Boston working at a number of restaurants including Troquet, Harvest and No. 9 Park.

Eager to get back to his home state to reconnect with the ingredients and foodways of his childhood, Matt returned to Little Rock where he worked under Lee Richardson former Executive Chef at Ashley’s (now One Eleven) in the Capital Hotel, developing strong relationships with local farmers and producers and rediscovering the agricultural resources of his home state.

In 2012, Matt joined the opening team of The Hive, located at 21C Museum Hotel Bentonville. At The Hive, the restaurant’s menus showcase the unique culinary identity of Arkansas. McClure’s cooking pays homage to the High South, highlighting ingredients such as black walnuts, freshly milled corn meal, hickory smoked hams, peaches, melons and sweet onions and demonstrates Matt’s longstanding commitment to support local farmers and purveyors. (Courtesy The Hive).

In 2013, Garden & Gunfeatured The Hive in it’s Feb/Mar edition.showcases the refined, country cuisine of the High South, focusing on the local ingredients of Northwest Arkansas and the region’s traditional methods of cooking.  Matt was a James Beard Award semi-finalist for the “Best Chef: South” award in both 2014 and 2015, and was awarded Food & Wine Magazine’s “The People’s Best New Chef” award for the Midwest in 2015. He is also an active member of the Southern Foodways Alliance. 

Matt McClure's Buttermilk Cornbread

Ingredients

    Cornbread
  • 2 Tablespoons lard
  • 2 cups cornmeal
  • 1/2 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups buttermilk
    Sorghum Butter
  • 8 Tablespoons good quality unsalted butter, softened
  • 3 Tablespoons sorghum molasses
  • Fine sea salt

Instructions

    Cornbread
  1. Preheat oven to 425°.
  2. Place cast iron skillet and lard in the skillet to preheat.
  3. Sift together cornmeal, flour, soda and salt into a large bowl.
  4. In a small bowl, beat eggs and buttermilk together; add to dry mix.
  5. Stir well until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
  6. Add melted lard to mix and stir well, leaving a small amount of the melted lard in the skillet.
  7. Pour cornbread mixture into the hot cast iron skillet (the same pan that the lard was melted in). Make sure there is a thin layer of residual lard in the pan. This will ensure a crisp crust.
  8. Bake at 425° for 25-30 minutes.
  9. Serve hot with sorghum butter.
  10. Pinch of fine sea salt
    Sorghum Butter
  1. Using a hand or stand mixer, cream the softened butter until it is fluffy.
  2. Reduce the mixer speed and drizzle in the sorghum. Add the salt.
  3. Increase the speed and beat until the sorghum is fully incorporated, frequently scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula.
  4. Turn the butter into a small bowl or a large ramekin

Notes

I'm not sure what brand of corn meal Matt uses, but I really like Arkansas' own War Eagle Mills.

The sorghum butter is really nice on biscuits, pancakes or waffles.

https://arkansaswomenbloggers.com/matt-mcclures-buttermilk-cornbread-sorghum-butter/