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Newport
County-Style
Thin & Lacy Rhode Island Jonnycakes |
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Serves 2 to 4 |
| These are a classic pan-cooked cornbread, as made in Newport County, Rhode
Island (they make 'em differently in South County, Rhode Island). I had read
johnnycake recipes but had never actually tried them: the ingredients seemed so
absolutely stripped-down, how on earth could they be anything special? Then one
hot July night in Los Angeles (read
Of Moose and Men (and women,
bi-coastal cornbreads, and learning to live with I don't know) to
get a fuller picture of this scene) so hot I couldn’t even consider
heating up the oven --- I found myself working on this book and in a
recipe-testing frame of mind and decided to give the griddled Rhode Island
johnnycake a whirl? |
| Well
--- I have to tell you --- these are one of the surprise
hits of the forthcoming book. They
are very thin, crisp, lacy, shatteringly elegant, utterly addictive, and wholly
unlike any other pancake or corncake I have ever tasted. You don’t stack these,
at least I don’t. Truly, they're in a class by themselves… superlative.
They are a bit on the buttery side, but are so perfect as is that
not only don’t they not need to be served with butter, butter
would subtract from their delicacy. |
| Having waited too long to discover and taste them first-hand, I
guarantee you I will be making them periodically the rest of my life.
Don't miss the possibilities which follow. |
| For a traditional baked cornbread, don't miss
Skillet-Sizzled Buttermilk
Cornbread. And while you're at it, on this one, do an extra-skillet's
worth and make a half-recipe of vegetable oil spray |
| 1 ½ cups cold 2% milk (or plain soymilk, or water) |
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| 1 cup finely ground yellow cornmeal |
| ½ teaspoon salt |
| 3 tablespoons Better, page
905-906, melted |
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1. Spray your largest cast
iron skillet with the oil, and set it over low-medium to preheat it.
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| 2. Put the cold milk into a
medium bowl, and pour in the cornmeal and salt, whisking vigorously. Add the
melted Better. The batter will be suspiciously thin, but don’t worry. |
| 3. Raise heat under the
skillet. You want that skillet good and hot. When it is, drop the batter onto
the skillet, using a tablespoon to make 3 inch wide johnnycakes, or a teaspoon to
make adorable petite ones, and tilting the skillet as needed to make them round.
Each and every time you spoon up batter, always stir or whisk the batter like
the dickens, otherwise the cornmeal will settle on the bottom. Please note: at
first the batter will look so filled with holes that they’ll appear impossible
to flip, and you’ll think something’s wrong: it isn’t. |
| 4. Surprisingly, given how
thin they are, these cakes take a little longer to cook than the usual --- 4 to
5 minutes per side. You’ll know when it’s time to flip because all the little
holes except those at the edge will have filled in, and the top will be almost
dry. Turn one cake, using the most thin-bladed pancake-turner you own, and if it
holds together neatly and is nicely golden brown, you’re there. Allow 3 to 4
minutes for side 2. |
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Use Newport County Style Thin
& Lacy Rhode Island Jonnycakes as follows: |
| Use with Hors
d'oeuvres |
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With low-fat sour
cream or tofu sour cream and chives(optional caviar for those who like it) |
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With a spoonful
of peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes (preferably a mix of red, yellow, and
green assorted heirlooms, at high summer) with a little shredded basil and a
grinding of coarse salt |
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With dab of
not-too-oily pesto (basil or cilantro) |
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With finely
minced pitted Kalamata olives and a small cube or crumble of feta and a dill
sprig |
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In a larger size, to
accompany a simple main course, such as: |
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Chili, of any
kind, or any spicy bean ragout |
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Corn chowder,
particularly a spicy one |
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Chilled red
pepper soup or Golden Gazpacho |
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A large salad
with avocado, corn cut off the cob, scallions, crumbled goat cheese or tofu,
fresh tomatoes, and well-drained black-eyed peas, with mesclum greens and a
cilantro’d vinaigrette |
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Tempeh (or for
non-V’s, pork loin) glazed with apple cider and maple syrup, with steamed green
beans and baked winter squash (okay, so this isn’t a simple main course) |
| For dessert with . . . |
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Height-of-season, fresh, local strawberries and a drizzle of lavender honey
(this, to me, beats strawberry shortcake --- no whipped cream needed) |
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A bowl of
homemade peach ice cream topped with pureed fresh peaches and a scatter of
raspberries |
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Bananas sautéed
in a little butter, with brown sugar, flamed with rum or brandy, and served with
vanilla ice cream (dairy or soy) or coconut sorbet |
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Unsweetened,
non-spiced apple butter and a sweet tofu cream |
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