This stunning ingredient makes cornbread excellent, says golf-club chef

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Round this time of the yr, because the climate grows colder and households plan their festive celebrations of gratitude throughout the nation, cornbread rushes to the forefront of many individuals’s minds. Within the South, nonetheless, the soulful baked good is at all times in play. Simply ask Eric DaRin, the chief chef at Atlanta Athletic Membership (AAC), who declares “cornbread is not only a dish; it’s a cherished Southern staple.”

On condition that the AAC is ready within the coronary heart of Georgia, cornbread is an everyday — each on the menu on the membership’s restaurant and served at quite a lot of AAC occasions — and it takes quite a few types all year long, too. As Chef DaRin acknowledges, mini cornbread muffins are a perennial favourite at lunch and dinner, although the membership doesn’t shrink back from incorporating cornbread into entrees, equivalent to a cornbread skillet topped with home made chili. “It’s a pleasant pairing that celebrates Southern flavors,” he says.

Chef DaRin’s private journey with cornbread started greater than 20 years in the past, when he first experimented with completely different mixtures of components, trying to find the proper recipe. After two years of trial and error, DaRin found that solely a handful of components had been crucial if the specified consequence was “cornbread that’s comfortable and fluffy on the within with a barely crispy exterior.” He’s the primary to acknowledge that Southern delicacies typically emphasizes indulgence over healthfulness, which is why he chooses to hunt out high-quality components, specifically wealthy cultured buttermilk; premium, self-rising cornmeal; and — surprisingly — Duke’s mayonnaise. “The addition of mayonnaise is the key weapon in my cornbread,” he reveals.

When you’ve ever had a very distinctive piece of cornbread, you would possibly presume that its creation requires a excessive stage of ability and years of expertise. Fact be advised, baking scrumptious cornbread is far simpler than that. “Opposite to well-liked perception,” says Chef DaRin, “cornbread is a fast bread, that means that with a handful of straightforward components, creating a tasty model is remarkably simple.

“With high quality components and cautious preparation,” he continues, “you possibly can create a very scrumptious, fluffy, and satisfying cornbread at dwelling.”

Right here, we share Chef DaRin’s recipe — the identical bread that members and friends get pleasure from on daily basis at Atlanta Athletic Membership.

Atlanta Athletic Membership’s Cornbread

Yields about 12 items

Components:

3 cups self-rising cornmeal
4 entire eggs
2 cups buttermilk
0.5 cup Duke’s mayonnaise
0.5 cup sugar
4 oz. butter (melted)

Methodology:

In a big mixing bowl, mix the cornmeal, sugar, eggs, and buttermilk. Stir till properly mixed.

Add the mayonnaise and blend till totally included. Then, gently fold within the melted butter till simply mixed.