With the help of Ina Garten’s cookbooks, I’ve turned from a ramen-burning amateur to someone who can serve pasta dishes that her friends will actually eat.
So, when I decided to cook a few dishes for Friendsgiving, there was no question that the “Barefoot Contessa” star would be my source of inspiration.
As a huge pasta lover, I knew I had to test Garten’s recipe for overnight mac and cheese. And I’m a firm believer that no Thanksgiving table is complete without carbs, so I also made her Parmesan smashed potatoes.
That already seemed like plenty. But when I stumbled on a photo of Garten’s brown-butter skillet corn bread, I knew I had to add it to the menu.
Ina Garten’s brown-butter skillet corn bread is a bonus recipe in the reissue of her first cookbook.
I found the corn bread recipe while leafing through the republished version of “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook,” which originally came out in 1999, and knew it’d be perfect for Friendsgiving.
In the description of the dish, Garten says she was inspired by The New York Times’ Melissa Clark’s corn bread with brown butter.
“Since I can’t pass up any recipe for corn bread, I decided to test mine with brown butter too,” Garten writes. “Best corn bread I’ve ever made!”
That was all I needed to hear — time to get baking!
Garten’s brown-butter skillet corn bread needs only a few basic ingredients.
To make Garten’s corn bread, which serves 10 to 12 people, you’ll need:
- 3 cups of all-purpose flour
- 2 cups of whole milk
- 1 cup of fine cornmeal (Garten says this makes moister corn bread than medium grind)
- 1 cup of sugar
- ½ pound of unsalted butter
- 2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons of baking powder
I began by melting my butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
I continued to heat the butter until it became browned but not burned, listening to Garten’s advice to “watch it very carefully!”
Once the butter was ready, I poured it into a medium bowl and added my milk.
I whisked the milk into the butter, according to Garten’s recipe.
Then, I cracked my two eggs into the bowl.
I have to admit, I forgot to lightly beat the eggs together before throwing them into the mixture — but it didn’t seem to affect the corn bread in any way.
I added my dry ingredients to a separate bowl.
I added the flour, sugar, and cornmeal, as well as the baking powder and some kosher salt.
I whisked all the dry ingredients together, then made a well in the middle.
Barely five minutes had passed, and my batter was almost ready.
Then, I poured the butter and milk mixture into the well.
Per Garten’s instructions, I stirred everything together with a rubber spatula until it was just combined. The “Barefoot Contessa” star notes that it’s OK if the batter looks a little lumpy.
My batter was almost ready! But first, it needed to rest a little (so relatable).
Garten’s recipe calls for the batter to sit for 15 minutes. She said this step is essential to getting the best corn bread possible, so don’t try to skip it.
Once the 15 minutes were up, I poured my batter into the skillet.
Make sure you don’t wipe out your cast-iron skillet after melting the butter. Just throw the batter right in!
I smoothed the top, sprinkled it with sea salt, and threw the cast-iron skillet into the oven.
Garten’s recipe says to bake the corn bread for 35 to 40 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After 35 minutes, I stuck a knife in the middle, and it came out clean, so I knew it was ready.
One thing to note: If you’re using an 11 ½-inch skillet, Garten recommends baking your corn bread for only 25 to 30 minutes.
My corn bread came out a gorgeous golden brown.
Garten’s brown-butter skillet corn bread definitely makes for a gorgeous centerpiece at the Thanksgiving table (we all know no one really cares about the turkey).
But would it taste as good as it looked?
You could feel how moist the corn bread was just by cutting into it. Everyone at the table agreed it was one of the best they had ever tasted.
I could write an essay on how much I love this corn bread. It was so moist and fluffy, with the sweet and savory elements working together in perfect harmony. We were all stuffed, but everyone at the table couldn’t resist getting seconds of the bread.
“The salt really brought out all the flavors,” my friend Oliver said. “10/10, would recommend.”
“So delicious,” my fellow taste tester Kayla added. “The outside had a nice salty and crunchy texture, while the inside was moist and sweet.”
I love Garten’s corn bread. Now I make it for every Thanksgiving.
There’s no doubt in my mind that Garten’s brown-butter skillet corn bread was the star of Friendsgiving. It was perfectly baked and still tasted just as moist when we ate leftovers on the second and third days.
And for a novice cook like me who never bakes, I couldn’t believe how easy and foolproof it was to make. Seeing that corn bread come out of the oven, so beautiful and golden, made me feel like I was about to get a Paul Hollywood handshake.
Garten’s recipe has won a permanent spot in my holiday cooking repertoire.
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