Corn Pone
Corn pone is a small, plain cornmeal cake that needs only four ingredients and one night of patience. The cornmeal is first cooked into a thin boiled mush, then thickened and left to rise overnight, which gives the finished cakes more character than a quick batter would. The dish was once baked in ashes and was passed on to early European settlers by indigenous Americans. It is close kin to the johnnycake.
Instructions
Bring the water to a boil in a pot. As soon as it boils, stir in enough cornmeal to make a very thin batter.
Keep the batter boiling for 10 minutes, beating it often so it does not lump or stick. Take the pot off the heat and pour the batter into a pan.
Stir in the butter and add salt to taste if you want it. Let the batter cool until it is lukewarm.
Stir in more cornmeal until the batter is quite thick. Cover it and let it rise overnight.
The next day, pat the dough out into small cakes. Butter a baking tin and set the cakes on it. Alternatively, butter a cake pan and fill it three quarters full with the dough.
Bake in a moderate oven. The source gives no time, so judge doneness by eye. If you need a number, 350°F is probably safe, though the original recipe does not state a temperature.
Make it personal.
Custom engraved cutting boards, utensils, and kitchen accessories. Great gifts for anyone who cooks.
Shop Custom Chef →Affiliate link · PicksByRecipe may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
