Cornbread Pudding

Modified from Tom Douglas’ Seattle Kitchen

Cornbread pudding is one of our perennial favorites for any holiday meal.  Not only is it melt-in-your-mouth good with a creamy custard base, savory herbs and dry aged cheese, and a touch of natural sweetness from corn and caramelized onions…mmmm…what was I saying?  I seemed to drift off there with the memory of the best side dish ever!  Oh – it’s all that – and it makes an elegant presentation with anything from turkey to a simple steak to a standing rib roast.

This year is the first time I have attempted to make this completely gluten-free, and I’m happy to say this version is every bit as good as the original recipe.  I won’t lie to you – some things I haven’t been able to duplicate.  Try as I may, gluten-free cornbread dressing is in no way equal to what my grandmother used to make.  I’m still waiting for a gluten-free pizza crust that will knock my socks off.  However this cornbread pudding is the real deal!

Ingredients:

• 2 2/3 cups of gluten-free cornbread, cut into ~1-inch cubes (link to cornbread recipe here)
• 2 tablespoons butter (grass-fed)
• 1 Vidalia onion (or other sweet onion), thinly sliced
• 3/4 cup grated dry Jack cheese or Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 4 large eggs (free-range)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cornbread cubes with cheese and herbs

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Put the cornbread cubes in a buttered 8-inch square baking dish or medium-sized soufflé dish.  Set aside.

In a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat and cook the onions until they are soft.  Lower the heat to low, and continue to cook the onions until they are deep, golden brown and caramelized – at least 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.

Caramelizing onions...getting there, but not done yet!

Scatter the grated cheese, herbs, and caramelized onions over the cornbread cubes.

Whisk together the heavy cream and eggs with salt and pepper in  mixing bowl or large measuring cup.  Pour over the cornbread cubes and allow to sit for ten minutes so that the cornbread adsorbs some of the custard.  Bake until set and browned on top, around 40 minutes.  Serve hot.

Pair of jazz releases today, one well-known, the other not so much. We Three, featuring Paul Chambers on bass, Roy Haynes on drums and the great, but not frequently recorded Phineas Newborn on piano. One of the best piano jazz albums you’ll hear, low-key with a bluesy touch.

1958’s Somethin’ Else features an incredible lineup- Miles Davis, Art Blakey, Hank Jones, Cannonball Adderley and bassist Sam Jones. It sounds like a companion to Davis’ Kind Of Blue, but with the hard bop drumming of Blakey. One of the greatest Blue Note releases, Davis and Adderley define cool.