Cheever Sauce

Nothing encourages a stay at home and cook all day marathon like fresh fallen snow. Seems a bit backwards that during my first winter snowfall, a time when most people are out skiing, sledding, ice skating, and enjoying the fresh powder, I chose to spend the day in my kitchen. I’m not sure whether my pessimistic New Yorker attitude, dreading the thought of trekking through street sludge, only to discover that ongoing traffic won’t even slow down for me when I inevitable slip on ice while crossing the street, was keeping me indoors today. Because even without these homebody thoughts, something about the crisp winter air was telling me it was a day for cooking, and that same voice was telling me it was a day for cornbread.

Like I’ve stated before, baking isn’t my thing. But the chilly air was making me crave something that would compliment the warm and cozy atmosphere of my apartment, and nothing screams soul and comfort like corn bread. I love this particular recipe because it’s different than the cornbread I am used to in restaurants. Don’t get me wrong, I love the taste of a nice, sweet, fluffy, cake-like bread, but I try to keep things on the lighter side here, and this recipe does the trick.

This bread contains no butter, minimal sugar, and the sour cream (I used low-fat and it didn’t affect the flavor a bit) gives it a nice gooey consistency. The best addition is the Aleppo, which is a Turkish bright red pepper flake. This adds a subtle kick to the bread, which is a perfect addition to the corn flavor (If you don’t have aleppo flakes, feel free to use red pepper - but just use a fraction of the amount). The taste feels like less of a dessert and more like a bread with it’s grainy, hearty texture. It’s delicious on it’s own with butter and honey, but also amazing alongside a warm soup or chili. I will most certainly be serving it for breakfast tomorrow with a fried egg or two…

Onward for the recipe from Smitten Kitchen

1. Preheat the oven to 400 °F. Generously grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan, or coat it with a nonstick spray.
2. Mix together 1 cup of all-purose flour, 1 cup of yellow cornmeal, 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon dried aleppo flakes, 1/2 teaspoon table salt in a large bowl. (CheeverSauce note: I don’t have measuring spoons so I just used a small dinner spoon and a large dinner spoon for measuring - still came out delicious).
3. In a seperate bowl whisk together 1 large egg (lightly beaten), 1 cup low-fat sour cream, 1/3 cup buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ones, mixing until just barely combined.
5. Spread the batter in your prepared and bake for 22 to 25 minutes. A toothpick, or knife, inserted into the center should come out clean.
6. Slice and serve toasted with honey and butter.
7. Enjoy! 

Click here for more great recipes!