Cornbread Croutons
introduction
Crisp and buttery with just a touch of give at the center and an explosion of corn flavor, these golden croutons provide irresistible companionship to stews, soups or salads where rich corn flavor is desired. We adore them in particular with our chili , but they work beautifully with fish chowder, tomato bisque, or bean, lentil, or vegetable soups. Or with salads like Caesar; or with goat cheese, arugula, and dried cranberries; or with Boston lettuce, bacon, and buttermilk dressing. We could go on and on, but you get the idea.
Cooking Remarks
We recommend baking the batter in mini cast-iron muffin pans. Lodge makes small 6-cup pans two of which will accommodate our cornbread recipe with just a few drips remaining. Before you make the batter, preheat the pans in the oven to ensure that the sides and bottoms of the muffins crisp and brown perfectly.
To make croutons from regular Black Skillet Cornbread (cornbread that has been baked in a skillet per the recipe directions), slice the cooled cornbread horizontally into 3 layers like a cake, and stamp out rounds from each layer with a 1½-inch cookie cutter. Butter and brown the rounds as directed below.
equipment mise en place
For this recipe, you will need two well-seasoned 6-cup cast iron muffin pans, a 4-cup liquid measuring cup, a rubber spatula, a heatproof pastry brush, a wire rack, and a heavy-bottomed medium skillet.
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1recipe Black Skillet Cornbread, in batter form
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2tablespoons European-style butter, melted, plus additional softened butter to spread on the rounds
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Before you make the batter, adjust an oven rack to the middle position, set 2 well-seasoned 6-cup cast-iron muffin pans on the rack, and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
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Scrape the batter into a 4-cup liquid measuring cup. Remove one of the hot muffin pans and brush the inside of each cup with melted butter. Fill the muffin cups nearly to their brims with batter (fig. 2.1) and return the pan to the oven. Repeat with the second pan. Bake until the muffins are firm and risen, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven, invert the muffins out of the pans, stand them upright, and let cool (fig. 2.2).
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Slice the cooled muffins crosswise into ¼-inch-thick rounds (fig. 3.1), leaving the domed tops and crusty bottoms for snacking. Heat a heavy-bottomed medium skillet over low heat for 10 minutes. Brush one side of each disk with softened butter, and then place the rounds buttered side down in the skillet; add only as many as will comfortably fit in a single layer. Brown until crisp and golden, 3 to 5 minutes (fig. 3.2). Flip and toast the second sides. Serve hot. Butter and toast the remaining disks.
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2.1
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2.2
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3.1
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3.2
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