Sunday Brunch Part 1 – Corn Cakes

May 20th, 2009

Last Summer, after months of renovating our Lake Lure cottage, we hosted a brunch for friends and the people who helped us with all of our improvements. These people had also become our friends. You can’t spend every day with people without coming to know them and feeling an attachment to their lives. We wanted to do something to thank them for all of their hard work and a late morning brunch seemed like a fun and relaxing way to accomplish this. I enjoyed doing it so much that I decided that inviting friends to brunch should become a regular occasion and I have come up with a menu and a plan that will make it easy for anyone to host a Sunday brunch without a lot of last minute preparation. I hope you will follow along with me.

My first offering is corn cakes. This is something a little different than the expected pancakes and they have the advantage of tasting fresh even after reheating, so you can cook them the day before your brunch and then rewarm them in the oven right before serving. You can eat them slathered with syrup and cut with a fork or pick them up and eat them like corn muffins. I enjoyed making these because I got to use the griddle pan on my stove for the first time.

I adapted this recipe from Gourmet and it is so versatile that you can add anything that appeals to you. I fixed the basic recipe but you can add sauteed green peppers, onions, jalapenos, chives or jack cheese. You can serve the cakes with maple syrup or honey butter.

CORN CAKES

1 cup cornmeal
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons snipped chives
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk plus additional to thin batter if neccesary
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for brushing the griddle
1 cup fresh or frozen corn, cooked, drained, and patted dry

In a bowl whisk together the cornmeal, the baking soda, the salt and the chives. Add the egg, 1 cup of the buttermilk, and 2 tablespoons of the butter and whisk the batter until it is smooth. Stir in the corn and let the batter stand for 10 minutes. The batter should be the consistency of thick pancake batter; if it is too thick, thin it with the additional buttermilk. Heat a griddle over moderate heat until it is hot, brush it lightly with some of the additional butter, and drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto the griddle. Cook the cakes for 1 minute, or until the undersides are golden, turn them, and cook them for 1 minute more, or until the undersides are golden. Transfer the cakes to a heated platter and make more cakes with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the griddle lightly with some of the additional butter before cooking each batch. The cakes may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled. Reheat the cakes in a baking dish, covered tightly with foil, in a preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. Makes about 16 corn cakes.

Printable recipe

7 responses to “Sunday Brunch Part 1 – Corn Cakes”

  1. Mary says:

    I can already tell I’m going to like this recipe.
    The fact they can be reheated makes them a wonderful consideration when guests are underfoot.

  2. Katy ~ says:

    Oh my gosh! Do I want a stack of these NOW or what!! This is such a “me” recipe! I am LOVING this!

  3. girlichef says:

    These sound like a perfect brunch offering!! I’d love to make a few different varieties with different add-ins 🙂 YUM~

  4. Kate says:

    Those look fantastic. Pssssssssssst! You entered and won my cookbook giveaway! See my “giveaway” category so you can contact me. 🙂

  5. How nice to have a brunch for everyone – very French. We love corn cakes and those look fabulous. I’ve tried to take photos of pancakes but never had any luck – yours look like they came out of Gourmet magazine. The pansy is a nice touch.
    Sam

  6. Penny says:

    Mary, I have had these from the fridge twice now and they are still good.
    Katy, I wish I could hand you a plate of these.
    Heather, Very adaptable – Whatever you want.
    Kate, Thank you! I have been in touch. Great giveaway.
    Sam, Thanks for the photo compliment. I am still learning with a so so camera.

  7. Rosabela says:

    Love the simple ingredients in this recipe!

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