In Honor of My Texan Sister: Cornbread

Okay, so she's not really Texan. But she lives there now, and very close to Mexico as well, and so I write this post in her honor.

I love Mexican food, which is a little strange since I don't think we ever ate it growing up. However, I have found that I love the spices and the flavors, and am always happy to integrate them into my diet. Burritos, enchiladas, tacos-- you name it, and I probably love it.

So I decided to have Mexican night for Shabbat dinner this week, which meant chili, along with the subject of this post-- cornbread! I really love cornbread, but something I have learned is that it is very hard to do well. Often, recipes come out dry and crumbly, and either too sweet or too bland. However, this time I seem to have found a truly excellent recipe.

This recipe is from the Kosher By Design series by Susie Fishbein. It's from the Short on Time cookbook, and unlike some of the recipes, which take much longer than claimed, this one is actually really easy. She says that the secret is the orange, which solves the too dry problem. I'll take her word for it, but trust me-- if you like Mexican, this cornbread is for you.

Orange Cornmeal Bread, from Kosher By Design Short on Time:

1 cup flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 large eggs
1 navel orange
1 cup soy milk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 400. Heavily grease and flour an 8 by 8 square baking pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and the juice of the orange. Add the soy milk and the lemon juice. Whisk in the melted butter. Then add the dry mixture to the egg mixture, using a wooden spoon to combine.

Pour the mixture into the baking pan. Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out dry. Cool and slice.