Bake the Book
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[Photograph: Ellen Silverman]

The uniquely herbaceous nature of sage brings fond food memories of soup, stuffing, and general warmth. Incorporating it into a skillet cornbread lets it shine.

Reprinted with permission from The Epicurious Cookbook by Tanya Steel & the editors of Epicurious. Copyright © 2012. Published by Clarkson Potter. Available wherever books are sold. All rights reserved.

About This Recipe

Yield: makes 10 to 12 servings
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Special equipment: 10-inch cast-iron or ovenproof skillet

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cornmeal, preferably whole-grain, medium grind
  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage, plus
  • 12 whole fresh sage leaves
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

Procedures

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Heat a heavy 10-inch ovenproof skillet (preferably cast-iron) in the oven for 10 minutes.

  2. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 teaspoons chopped sage in a large bowl to blend. Whisk the milk, honey, and egg in a medium bowl to blend.

  3. With a pot holder, remove the skillet from the oven and add the butter. Swirl until the butter is melted, then pour all except 2 tablespoons butter into the egg mixture. Add the whole sage leaves to the butter in the skillet; toss to coat. Arrange the leaves over the bottom of the skillet, spacing apart.

  4. Add the egg mixture to the cornmeal mixture; stir until just combined (do not overmix; batter will be wet and runny). Pour the batter over the sage leaves in the skillet.

  5. Bake until browned around edges and a tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 22 minutes. Cool in the skillet 10 minutes, then invert onto a platter. If necessary, reposition the sage leaves atop the cornbread.