by Sheila Connolly
A
couple of weeks ago I went to the Brimfield Antiques Fair, which I try to do at
least once a year, and came back with a set of cast-iron corn stick pans. I’m
sure we’ve all see such things, but these were mini-ones (yes, I already have
and use the larger size—one was my mother’s), which I’d never seen. I bought
three of them.
The new ones and my mother's |
Of
course I came home and Googled them, because it’s kind of hard to guess the age
of cast-iron stuff. There are quite a few offered on eBay, to my surprise—and
even more surprising were the prices people were asking for them. Hey, I paid
$4 each for mine, which I thought was reasonable. I think they’re “vintage”
rather than “antique.”
I
do make corn sticks now and then, particularly to go with a hearty pea soup for
dinner. But these new pans are for little
ones—defined as “tea-size” in the eBay ads. I have a favorite recipe, from a
Farm Journal bread cookbook that I
kind of appropriated from a roommate of mine when we shared our first apartment
(I’m sure I’ve used it far more often than she would have).
I
was going to use cornmeal ground at a mill in nearby Plymouth, a recreation of
the original one built around 1625 to grind the Pilgrims’ corn (wheat doesn’t
grow in this part of Massachusetts!). Its first miller was John Jenney—my 10x
great grandfather, a fact I learned only recently. I did have some cornmeal
from there, but I used it all. I’ll be going back, now that I know it’s a
family business!
This
is what the Farm Journal calls
“Yankee-style” corn bread.
Golden Corn Bread
Preheat
the oven to 425 degrees. Grease your
pans very well, and heat them in the oven while you’re mixing the batter.
The ingredients |
1
cup sifted flour
¼
cup sugar
4
tsp baking powder
Scant
1 tsp salt
1
cup yellow cornmeal
2
eggs
1
cup whole milk
¼
cup soft shortening
In
a large bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Stir in
the cornmeal.
In
a small bowl, beat the eggs with a fork, then add the milk and shortening (yes,
it will be lumpy). Add the liquid mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir with a fork until it is just moistened
(do not overmix—ignore the lumps).
The Tupperware thing, loaded |
Now I faced a
challenge. With regular corn stick pans, you can spoon or pour the batter, but
these are baby sized. Then I had a brainstorm! I bought a Tupperware frosting
applicator last fall, and it’s just the right size to squish out a thick thread
of batter into the pans. (Don’t overfill them!)
Bake
the corn sticks in the hot oven for 10-12 minutes, or until they are raised and
golden-brown. And serve along with your petit
fours and watercress sandwiches for your ladies’ tea!
Note
(or maybe I mean Confession): These are kind of a work in progress. When I make
them again, I would put even less batter in the pans (and it’s important to
clean and grease and reheat the pans between each use, or the sticks, uh,
stick), and I’d probably use a finer-grind corn meal, so the pattern from the
pans would show up more clearly. And I might experiment with non-corn batters
as well.
Oh, yes, there's this book that came out last week. Nell Pratt and FBI agent James Morrison seem to eat a log of scrambled eggs for dinner (they're busy people), but I bet corn sticks would go nicely with the eggs.
Yum! Were you able to date the pan, Sheila? And what's the date of the cookbook?
ReplyDeleteSorry for the delay! I've been on the road, and it's hard to see anything on my phone screen.
DeleteMost of the sites I looked at suggested 1920s-30s, not that I've done in-depth research. When did ladies stop servings tea to their friends?
The cookbook dates to the early 1960s. It's one I've used for years (since the 1970s, when I purloined it).
Very cute Sheila!
ReplyDeleteWow, there's a blast from the past! When I was a senior in high school I worked as a waitress at a diner in my hometown of Hamilton, Ohio. One of the many things Hyde's was--and still is--known for was the corn sticks they served with meals. I must have slung a billion of them in the nine months I worked there.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to look for corn stick pans. What a great idea, Sheila. Thanks for the recipe, and good luck with your new book!
Yum, I can imagine these would be delicious with pea soup! I used to have a corn muffin mold somewhere--purchased at a garage sale--I'll have to dig it out. These would be fun to make with my granddaughter.
ReplyDeleteI love your antique finds, Sheila. What a fun recipe!
ReplyDeleteMust. Have. Molds. Must. Have ....
Hugs.
MJ
These would be a fun addition to a chili tasting party. They are adorable and I love those molds!
ReplyDeleteVery clever of you to use the frosting applicator. I have a few of these cast iron molds though in other shapes. What I want to know is where you store them. They're so heavy and a bit awkward to store.
ReplyDelete~Krista
Eat your heart out: I have a walk-through pantry with built-in shelves. How else could I collect all this bakeware? Yes, I acquired more in my last foray to NJ and PA. But different ones! I'm sure MLK readers will be seeing them.
DeleteLodge Manufacturing in South Pittsburg, TN makes all kinds of cast iron cookware - including mini cornstick molds. www.lodgemfg.com
ReplyDeleteWhen my daughter was learning to read, I bought a cast iron alphabet one--it's a pain to fill but it's cute (hmm, didn't have that frosting applicator back then).
Delete