Maple pumpkin cornbread
Baking is one area where I’m frightened about making substitutions and getting creative, so I took baby steps with this New York Times recipe. Instead of honey, I used maple syrup (and was curious about using molasses), and I added a dash of cinnamon. I considered adding zest from a mandarin orange but then chickened out. Maybe next time …
- 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups stone ground yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
Heat the oven to 400 degrees, and place a 2-quart baking dish on a rack in the middle of the oven.
Whisk together the pumpkin puree, milk, olive oil, maple syrup and eggs.
Place the cornmeal in a large bowl, and sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and mix together without overworking.
Remove the baking dish from the oven, and add the butter. When it is melted completely, brush the sides of the pan with the pastry brush; tip the excess melted butter into the batter, and quickly mix it in. Scrape the batter into the hot pan, and return it to the oven. Bake for 35 or 40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before serving. Slather warm pieces with butter, and drizzle them with more maple syrup.
Makes 12 servings.
Recipe adapted from: nytimes.com
