Recipe: Cast-Iron Blue Corn Bread with Macerated Peaches
Prep Time:
10 minutes
Cook Time:
20 minutes
Servings:
9 skillet
Ingredients
- ¼ cup melted butter, plus more at room temperature for greasing the pan
- 1 cup blue cornmeal
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1½ cups buttermilk
- 3 pounds ripe peaches (about 8 peaches)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4 dried red New Mexico or Anaheim chiles—stemmed, seeded and broken into small pieces
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup honey
- Pinch kosher salt
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Grease a 9-inch cast-iron skillet, cake pan or oven-safe nonstick pan with butter and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and buttermilk. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually stir in the wet mixture, mixing with a rubber spatula, until just combined. Stir in the melted butter. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake until firm, 20 minutes if using a cake pan or skillet, and 10 to 15 minutes if using a nonstick pan. The bread should be golden brown and spring back when touched.
- While the cornbread is baking, macerate the peaches: Cut the peaches into ¼-inch slices and combine them in a large bowl with the lemon juice and honey. Toss gently every couple minutes until the juices start to release, about 20 minutes.
- Make the red chile honey: In a small saucepan over high heat, combine the chiles and water. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 10 minutes. Transfer to a blender, add the honey and salt, and purée until smooth.
- Pour the red chile honey through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the chile skins. Discard the skins and reserve the glaze. Makes 1 cup.
- Serve the corn bread with the peaches and a drizzle of the red honey chile.