Maple Cornbread

The hockey calendar is looking a little light for this coming weekend, so I'm declaring a day of family fun. My plan is to drag bring the family North to a sugar bush for a little maple-syrup-season entertainment.  Rob and the boys are slightly less-than-enthused about this idea, but I feel that, as good Canadians, we need to get out there and harvest a little sap.  

I'm also trying to get them all to agree to a day of snowshoeing , but I'm not getting very far on that front either. It might very well be because we have no snow, but I'm convinced that a short drive will have us walking in a winter wonderland in no time. In reality, I think Rob and Ben, my sports and activity enthusiasts, fear they may fall asleep on the snowy landscape from the slow pace of the activity.  They like to move, those boys of mine, and any activity that doesn't see them chasing pucks or pigskin is often declared as boring. 

In any event, Jackson and I have paid our dues on the weekend hockey front, so off to the bush we go. I plan to bring back jugs of our local liquid gold, which I'll douse over warm cornbread served hot from the oven.  That will be enough to convince them to go, I'm sure of it.

Maple Cornbread

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 1/3 cups whole-wheat pastry or all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cornmeal (I like Bob's Red Mill)
• 2/3 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 375. Place the butter in the bottom of a cast-iron skillet, and set it in the oven while it's heating.  Once the butter has melted, remove the pan and set it aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and cornmeal in a medium mixing bowl.

Mix together the milk, eggs, maple syrup, and melted butter and stir with a fork until blended. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. Pour it back into the cast iron skillet and bake it for 20 minutes.

Remove the cornbread from the oven and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.  Serve with a drizzle of pure maple syrup, if desired.

Comments

[Krista House]

Sounds yummy. I love cornbread and I love maple syrup. Never thought to combine the two! This is definitely on my baking todo list.

[Paula]

Our sap is not running here yet but it is an annual tradition for the extended family to get together at my sister-in-laws while their sap is turned into maple syrup the old fashioned way. It's always a great day and a great outing in the bush. Enjoy your weekend. Your maple cornbread looks wonderful.