It Had To Happen: Bacon-Sriracha Cornbread
It had to happen. First, Sriracha, that spicy chili sauce that adds oomph to almost any dish, started showing up everywhere from fast-food menus to temples of haute-cuisine. It has more than 230,000 fans on an unofficial Facebook page. And now, it has its own book, "The Sriracha Cookbook," courtesy of food writer Randy Clemens.
The little specialty title is drawing early praise (what other new releases can boast quotes from both Library Journal and David Chang?!). I'm struck both by the recipe for homemade Sriracha (when we got to the mid-way step of "store at room temperature for 7 days, stirring daily," I decided I was grateful for the store-bought version) and by the recipe for (didn't I say it had to happen?) bacon-Sriracha cornbread. Yes, bacon meets Sriracha. Want to know what's even crazier? The recipe pays homage to bread hero Peter Reinhart, and it doesn't look half-bad. Other highlights: Sriracha mayo, miso-Sriracha glazed salmon, and Sriracha-spiked Bloody Marys.
Just one question: How long can it be before someone thinks up "The Fish Sauce Cookbook"? That's the other ingredient in my fridge that gets drizzled into nearly everything I cook.
Here's the soon-to-be-notorious cornbread recipe. Grab a skillet and try it out with me?
Bacon-Sriracha Cornbread
Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
2 cups cultured buttermilk
6 slices thick-cut bacon
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup Sriracha
1. In a mixing cup, combine the cornmeal and buttermilk. Cover and leave at room temperature 4-6 hours, or overnight.
2. After the cornmeal finishes its long buttermilk bath, preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a 10-inch cast iron skillet placed inside. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over moderate heat, cook the bacon until it nears crispy. Drain off the rendered fat, reserving for later use. Allow the bacon slices to cool, then dice into pieces.
3. In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Mix in the sugar and salt. Pour in the eggs, butter, corn, cheese, bacon pieces, and the cornmeal/buttermilk mixture. Mix until combined.
4. Using a hot pad, carefully remove the hot skillet from the preheated oven. Slowly pour the reserved bacon fat into the skillet. (The grease should hiss and pop upon contact. If not, return your skillet to the oven for another 10-15 minutes until it gets good and hot.) Pour the cornbread batter into the hot, greased skillet. Working briskly, spoon the Sriracha throughout the batter to create swirly "veins" of Sriracha that will be visible in the finished bread.
5. Using a hot pad, quickly return the skillet to the oven. Decrease the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the cornbread to cool slightly in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn it out onto a plate to cool for an additional 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
-- From The Sriracha Cookbook
-- Rebekah Denn
Digital piano on January 07, 2011 at 03:15 AM
Small specialty title of the drawing early praise (which boasts other new versions of quotes and Library Journal, and David Chang?). What strikes me is the recipe for Sriracha house and the recipe (did not say it had to happen ?) and Sriracha bacon corn bread.