Corn, Cheddar, and Green Onion Skillet Cake
Excerpted from Cook It Wild
Yield:
4
- 6
Servings
These crispy buttermilk-and-cornmeal skillet cakes pop with juicy corn kernels, and crunch at their edges with bits of pan-caramelized cheddar cheese.
Cook It Wild by Chris Nuttall-Smith
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER • AN EPICURIOUS AND GLOBE AND MAIL BEST COOKBOOK OF THE YEAR
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Hardcover
At Home
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- ¼ cup buttermilk powder
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup chia seeds or ground flaxseed
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1½ cups finely grated cheddar cheese
At Camp
- 12 ounces maple-flavoured breakfast sausages (optional; thawed) [F]
- Prepared dry mix [F]
- 2 cups water
- 10 green onions, sliced
- 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen (thawed) [F]
- 3 tablespoons salted butter (thawed) [F]
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup (thawed) [F]
- MIX AND PACK: In a resealable bag or container, combine the flour, cornmeal, buttermilk powder, sugar, chia seeds, baking powder, salt, and cheddar, making sure to toss the cheese well in the mixture to coat. Refrigerate or freeze. (It will keep for 2 months, frozen.)
- COOK THE SAUSAGES: In a medium, nonstick skillet over medium heat, fry the sausages until they’re well-browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and cover to keep warm.
- MIX THE BATTER: Meanwhile, in a medium bowl (or other batter-worthy vessel), combine the dry mix and water. Stir to incorporate but don’t overmix. Add the green onions and corn, fold them in, and let this batter rest for 5 minutes to thicken.
- COOK THE SKILLET CAKES: Wipe out the skillet and set over medium heat. When a drop of water splashed into the pan dances for a second or two and then evaporates, it’s ready. Add ½ tablespoon of the butter to coat the pan, then pour (or plop) in ¾ cup of the batter. Shake the pan to spread the batter around a bit; this will get you caramelized edges. Cook the skillet cake, undisturbed, until bubbles form and burst in the middle, leaving open holes behind, 2 to 4 minutes. Carefully flip the cake, then add a few of the cooked sausages to the edge of the pan to reheat. Cook another few minutes, until the cake is dark at its edges, its underside turns golden, and it’s cooked through. Repeat with the remaining butter, batter, and sausages.
- SERVE: Serve the skillet cakes warm with the sausages and maple syrup.
CHRIS NUTTALL-SMITH is a celebrated journalist, food writer, and critic, as well as a Top Chef Canada resident judge. Chris has also served as food editor, chief restaurant critic, and dining columnist at Toronto Life and national food critic for The Globe and Mail. His writing about food and other subjects has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Lucky Peach, Esquire, enRoute, and New York magazine. He lives in Toronto with his wife, Carol, and son, Cormac.
Cook It Wild
Chris Nuttall-Smith
