Sarah's Story — The Corn Cake That Earned a Seat at the Table

Thanksgiving prep. The menu is the same because the menu is right and right doesn't need changing. Turkey, dressing, potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce, gravy, sweet potato casserole, bourbon pecan pie. The sage measured at one and three-quarter teaspoons. The cornbread drying. The envelope with the menu on the counter where it lives every November.

This year the table is larger. Travis, Jolene, Earl Thomas. Clay and Sarah. Connie. That's seven, not counting Amber and James who can't come because Amber is five months pregnant and the drive from Louisville is too much and she's working through the holiday because nurses don't get holidays, not really, and I understand because miners didn't get holidays either.

Clay asked if he could bring something besides the Coke. He said Sarah makes cornbread. I said there's only one cornbread at this table. He said Dad, she makes it different. I said different how. He said with honey and jalapenos. I said that's not cornbread, that's corn cake. He said Dad. I said bring the corn cake. I will eat it. I will not call it cornbread. But I will eat it and I will judge it privately and I will be fair because Sarah is from Whitesburg and Whitesburg people have their own cornbread traditions and I am not so old or so stubborn that I can't eat a different cornbread at my own Thanksgiving table. I am exactly that old and exactly that stubborn. But I will eat it.

I said I’d eat it and I’d be fair, and I meant both. Sarah’s cornbread — the honey and jalapeño kind from Whitesburg — turned out to be the thing I didn’t know I was missing at a table that hadn’t changed in thirty years. I still don’t call it cornbread. But I asked Clay for the recipe, and that ought to say enough.

Sarah’s Story

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup honey, plus more for drizzling
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2 fresh jalapeños, seeded and finely diced (leave seeds in one if you want the heat)
• 1 tablespoon bacon drippings or butter, for the skillet

Instructions

1. Preheat and prep the pan. Heat your oven to 400°F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. A hot skillet gives the bottom that crust worth arguing about.
2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, buttermilk, honey, and melted butter until smooth.
4. Combine. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir until just combined — a few lumps are fine. Fold in the diced jalapeños. Do not overmix.
5. Season the skillet. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven using a thick towel. Add the bacon drippings or butter and swirl to coat the bottom and sides. The fat should shimmer immediately.
6. Bake. Pour the batter into the hot skillet and return to the oven. Bake 22–25 minutes, until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Finish and serve. Drizzle lightly with honey straight from the oven. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 185 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 7g | Carbs: 27g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 210mg