A Review and James Beard’s Cornbread
Through my years as a food blogger I have heard a lot about James Beard but I never seen any of his cookbooks nor read any of his food writing. Now that is not so strange because he was/is fundamentally an American food writer and I am a die hard European but that doesn’t mean that we couldn’t meet. I have a list of books by food writers that I want to get my hands on and James Beard ‘s name was one of the top ones so when I received an email asking me if was interested in reviewing The Essential James Beard: 450 Recipes That Shaped the Tradition of American Cooking, published by St Martin’s Press and edited by Rick Rodgers, I immediately wrote back ‘Yes please!’. And I am happy I did because this is a book full of recipes of a kind I like – the ingredient lists aren’t long and filled with things you never heard of or if you heard of them, you know you never will find where you live, non fussy recipes of good food that will make you feel good, they all have the word ‘authentic’ stamped on them and I like to cook exactly that kind of food. The cookbook is without photos and I know it is a strange thing for a food photographer to say but I actually prefer cookbooks made in this way because I read the recipes instead of looking at the photos of them. Not that I am able to resist cookbooks with great photography because they make me happy visually but cookbooks without photos make my stomach happy!
The cookbook consists of 450 recipes ranging from first courses and cocktail food to meat, fish, eggs, vegetables and lots of baking and more. There is a foreword by Betty Fussell who is the president of the James Beard Foundation and an introduction by James Beard himself and both made me want to read more, not only cook though I have marked lots of the recipes for future cooking.
I choose a make a very simple recipe for this review but there is a reason to it; lately I have been searching for good recipes for cornbread (you can ask my fellow Bread Baking Babes), I have no idea why but it has been a minor obsession of mine for some reason. So I had no choice when I saw a cornbread recipe – that was the recipe I had to try and so it was. I can’t say that I’m an expert on cornbread but I have to say that this is a good one. We all liked it and even though it is obviously best the same day it is baked, I had it for breakfast for several days afterwards and topped with a slice of tomato, salt and lots of black pepper it was truly delicious.
CORNBREAD (©2012 by Reed College and John Ferrone)
makes 6 servings (or many small)
softened butter for the pan
350 ml/ 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
120 ml/ 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbls baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
240 ml/ 1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs, well beaten
50 ml/ 1/4 cup heavy cream
5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 210°C/400°F. Butter an 28×22 cm / 11×8,5 inch baking pan.
Sift the coenmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt together in a large bowl, to mix the ingredients thoroughly and distribute the baking powder evenly. Beat in the milk and eggs with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Beat in the cream and, lastly, the melted butter.
Pour into the buttered pan and bake for 18-20 minutes, until risen and golden brown. While still hot, cut into squares and serve wrapped in a napkin.
Interesting observation about cookbooks with and without photographs. I’ve never read James Beard either (I thought I was the only one) but his cookbook sounds like it would fit nicely with my collection- flavorful, uncomplicated food.
Oh, Ilva, I LOVE James Beard. His “Delights and Prejudices” is one of my favorite cookbooks to read. I always turn to him at this time of the year, with harvest dinners to think about.
Regarding cornbread, this recipe is a good one, but not my favorite. I grew up on cornbread (sorry I didn’t know you were looking for a recipe) and I have my own prejudices about it. For me, it shouldn’t have flour or sugar in it–just the corn. But I often add some chopped jalapeños for some zing, and I like to put some sharp cheddar cheese in the middle to melt while its hot. Leftover cornbread can be wrapped in foil and reheated (with cheddar too!), but you’re right, it’s always best the day its baked.
For Thanksgiving in my family, we always made cornbread dressing, from cornbread made with a generous dose of sage in it. Good to eat by itself too!
I’m glad you’ve discovered cornbread, one of the delights of American cooking.
I love James Beard cookbooks….and have had them in my library for ever…and used them when I first started cooking from cookbooks after I stopped redoing and actually writing down my European/Austrian family’s dishes that my grandmothers and mother cooked – I love James Beard and his simplicity with food….
Ah, the cornbread conundrum!
ONe thing I learned quickly when I moved to the US is that recipes for cornbread and chili can get folks very excited, and at times confrontational… maybe ilke a good Bolognese for Italians? 
Every family has a favorite recipe and… well, you know how it goes
I am tempted to get this cookbook, after readidng your review, sounds like a must have for my every growing personal library (sigh)
Great post!
Sarah-Good to know I’m not alone or should i say, was alone!
Kate- I’m planning to bake lots of different ones to find my favourite cornbread!
Maria-i too like the simplicity of his cooking, good and unpretensious food.
Sally-I even think I will get another of his books, probably his autobiography.
Beard on Bread has been a “family cookbook” of ours as long as I can remember, just in case some keepers in it have not been included in the Essential! And to echo sallybr, you may also enjoy our holiday staples – the cornbread recipes in Joy of Cooking. The buttermilk version is particularly delicious.
I did a bit of research looking for good cornbread recipes too. One hint I came across was that you use a cast iron skillet or bean pot, heat it first(425F), add melted butter and then pour in the batter. This way you get the sizzle, guaranteeing that desirable crispness on the outer edges.
I created a file with all my findings which include a basic version (my favourite), a mix version, Southern Cornbread, Lace Hoe Cake Cornbread and Texan Cornbread. I would share if anyone is interested.
Thank you very much for that tip, I will definitely try that and yes I would be interested to see your file, do you have a blog or a web site or is it just for your personal use?