Heeerrrrre’s Johnny! Cakes, that is.
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12 to 15 (4- to 5-inch) johnnycakes
10 minutes to make the batter, 20 minutes to cook all the cakes
introduction
Despite their mottled, florid complexion, we find these cakes curiously beautiful: thin enough to be translucent around their edges, they are all deep agate blue inside and spun toffee lace on top. They also manage, slender proportions notwithstanding, to be scouringly crisp and creamily moist at the same time. Dark earth and chestnut notes from the blue corn stream up straight into your head, and roll round and round in your mouth when you fork these johnnycakes. The effect is one of brief melancholy brightened with a sunny splash of field-ripened corn. You’ll want some maple syrup, too.
To read about traditional Hopi blue corn bread, click here.
Cooking Remarks
This batter is unleavened and will—indeed should—appear alarmingly thin. So, remember: the batter is thin and the griddle hot. If the griddle is hot enough, the batter will run out quickly into a wide, thin circle, the hot surface gripping and stopping the batter in its tracks. Once on the griddle, watch the color of the cornmeal on the uncooked side: it will turn from dusty mauve to deep purple as it cooks. Don’t turn the cake until its surface becomes dry on the edges. As you cook the cakes, you may want to thin the remaining batter with additional warm milk.
equipment mise en place
For this recipe, you will need a medium mixing bowl, a digital kitchen scale, a wooden spoon, a small whisk, a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron griddle or skillet, a small saucepan, a small bowl, a heatproof basting brush, a 2-ounce ladle, and a metal spatula.
5.5
ounces (1¼ cups) Anson Mills Native Fine Blue Cornmeal
3
ounces (1 cup) dried blueberries
½
teaspoon fine sea salt
Boiling spring or filtered water
3
ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, plus additional for serving
4
ounces (½ cup) whole milk, warmed slightly
Softened butter for serving
Dark amber maple syrup, warmed, for serving
Turn the cornmeal, blueberries, and salt into a medium bowl. Set the bowl on a digital kitchen scale, tare the weight, and pour 7 ounces of boiling water into the cornmeal. Stir with a wooden spoon utensil to moisten the ingredients. The cornmeal should be a soft paste, in no way fluid. Cover the bowl and set it aside.
Set a well-seasoned 10-inch cast-iron griddle or skillet over medium-\nlow heat to become hot while you finish the batter. The griddle will need to be hotter than it is for ordinary pancakes. Remember: thin batter, hot pan.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Remove it from the heat, tilt the pan, and part the surface foam with a spoon. Spoon off 2 tablespoons of clear yellow butterfat into a small bowl and set it aside for greasing the griddle. Stir 3 tablespoons of the remaining butter into the bowl with the hot cornmeal and stir with a wooden spoon to combine. The paste will be soft and shiny (fig. 3.1). Discard the remaining watery butter. Whisk the milk into the mush. The batter will be thin compared to an average pancake batter (fig. 3.2). Let it stand for 5 minutes or so.
Dip a heatproof basting brush in the clarified butter and brush it across the surface of the hot griddle. Using a 2-ounce ladle, spoon batter onto the griddle; you should be able to cook 3 johnnycakes at a time (fig. 4.1). Let the batter drop onto the griddle from the ladle without rotating your wrist or using the ladle to draw a circle. If the griddle is hot enough the batter will run and spread itself into a round 4 to 5 inches in diameter (fig. 4.2). When the unbaked side of each cake has turned dark purple and is becoming dry to the touch (fig. 4.3), 1½ to 2 minutes, flip the cake with a metal spatula and cook the other side until set, about 1 minute longer (fig. 4.4). Transfer the johnnycakes to a baking sheet set in a warm oven to keep them hot while you cook the next batch, or simply give them to someone to eat. Grease the griddle with butter before cooking the next batch. Thin the batter with additional warm milk if necessary. Serve the johnnycakes hot with butter and warm maple syrup.
3.1
3.2
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
