Recipe: Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes ("Hoe Cakes")

I remember eating these often at my grandmothers' and great grandmothers' houses growing up - each time they'd never be made exactly the same, which admittedly was kinda the fun in it ;) Honey was the common accompaniment, usually fresh honey given to us by beekeepers in the family living nearby. As I got older, maple syrup or molasses would show up as an option, but I usually stuck with honey. And butter - at least a little bit :). They were usually topped with fresh sliced peaches or blueberries or blackberries from grandma's yard if served in the morning - they'd be a little less sweet and be served plain if in the evening. The version below is definitely slightly sweet. However, I don't have much of a sweet tooth, so I've reduced the sweetness down to a level I consider somewhere in between the "morning" and the "afternoon" version. I also remember cornstarch being used to add density - but I'm leaving that to the rice flour in my version (you can go with an almond or other nut flour instead of rice flour, just be prepared for a "nuttier" taste).

Buttermilk Cornmeal Pancakes ("Hoe Cakes")

Ingredients

2 cups of buttermilk

4 tbsp. of unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups of cornmeal

2/3 cup of rice flour

1 1/3 tablespoons of sugar

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 teaspoon of salt

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon of allspice

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

2 large eggs, beaten

Vegetable oil cooking spray (for the griddle)

Directions

Whisk together all dry ingredients in one bowl and whisk all wet ingredients together in another bowl thoroughly. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk thoroughly until all dry ingredients are thoroughly combined into the batter. Let the batter sit in the bowl for approximately 15 minutes (this will lead to fluffier cakes).

Spray non-stick griddle or large skillet with cooking spray. Heat griddle over medium heat. Whisk the batter one last time to re-combine after resting. Once griddle is hot and slightly smoking, use a 1/3 cup measure and pour out 2 cakes into the skillet. Cook for 2 minutes on the first side, carefully flip and cook 2 minutes on the other side. Place onto a wire rack while cooking the remainder of the cakes. Top with fresh fruit, sifted confectioner's sugar, honey, molasses, or syrup of your choosing.

Makes approximately 12 - 14 cakes.

Recipe: Georgia Fried Chicken

This is about as close as I can get to the way my grandmas make fried chicken since I can't get them to write down a recipe... but it's good... so there... ;)

Ingredients:

4 half-breasts of chicken, bone-in, skin on
4 chicken thighs, skin on
1 quart of buttermilk
Sea salt
Black pepper
2 cups of all-purpose flour
3 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
3 cups of peanut oil (for frying)

Directions:

Place the chicken in a big bowl. Coat generously with sea salt and pepper on all sides. Pour buttermilk into the bowl until the chicken is covered and fully submerged. Cover and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.

In a plastic 1 gallon re-sealable plastic bag, place the flour and all of the spices, adding 2 tsp of sea salt and 1 tsp of black pepper. Close the bag and shake to mix the ingredients thoroughly.

Heat the peanut oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Place the buttermilk soaked chicken pieces into the plastic bag with the flour mixture (2 pieces at a time) and shake to fully coat the pieces. To determine if the oil is hot enough, sprinkle a tiny bit of the flour into the hot oil. If the flour immediately bubbles and floats to the top, the oil is ready. Place the chicken into the hot oil. Work in batches, no more than 4 pieces in the cast iron skillet at a time. Fry for approximately 6 - 8 minutes on one side, turn, fry for an additional 6 - 8 minutes. Place the chicken on a brown paper bag to drain off excess oil. Repeat the process for the remaining chicken. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 very hungry people (1 breast + 1 thigh) or 2 Georgia boys and 1 sneaky dog ;).

Recipe: Baked Spiced Chicken

This is a twist on a baked “fried” chicken recipe I’ve been making for years. I changed up the spice mixture to reflect more of a West coast versus Southern take on the recipe.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb. of boneless/skinless chicken breasts (about 4 breast halves)
1 pint of reduced-fat buttermilk
3 tsp of garlic powder
3 tsp of Chinese five spice powder
3 tsp of chipotle chili powder
3 tsp of paprika
1 cup of cornflake crumbs
1 cup of unseasoned bread crumbs
Cooking spray

Directions:

Place chicken in a large bowl and coat with all of the spices. Add the buttermilk. Using hands or a big spoon, mix everything around until the spices are fully mixed into the buttermilk, the chicken is fully coated, and the chicken submerges almost completely in the buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 375. Foil a baking sheet and coat with cooking spray. Fill another large bowl with the cornflake and bread crumbs. Take chicken out of the buttermilk mixture and roll in the crumb mixture to fully coat. Place chicken on baking sheet and put into oven. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes until cooked through and the crumb crust is nice and brown.

Makes 4 servings.