MEZCLA Brown Butter Cornbread
I’ve simply been on fire with anticipation for the new MEZCLA cookbook by Ixta Belfrage – and with good reason: this curried brown butter cornbread is a wild fusion of flavours unlike any I’ve had before! Let’s dive in!
If you haven’t yet heard of MEZCLA and Ixta Belfrage, boy, have you been missing out! Graduating from a stint in the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen, and co-authoring Ottolenghi’s bestselling cookbook Ottolenghi FLAVOUR, Ixta’s first solo cookbook is every bit as exciting as you imagine it could be – and then some!
The name MEZCLA translates to mix, mixed, or fusion in Spanish, and every dish in this book is an unquestionable testament to the title. Every recipe in the book incorporates an element of fusion, resulting in truly spectacular and memorable dishes. This curried brown butter cornbread recipe is no exception! Soft, moist, and deeply flavourful, this is cornbread at its peak!
This brown butter cornbread is amazing as a side, or as the centrepiece of a meal. It is divine fresh but is also perfectly delicious the day after baking. Simply reheat in a pan or oven and enjoy. To make this dish, you will need 14 ingredients and about 75 minutes of prep, bake and cooling time.
If you try this recipe, let us know how it goes! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag your photo #theculinarycartel on Instagram so we can see what you come up with. To view our recipe video on Instagram click here. Happy cooking!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Scotch Bonnet?
A Scotch Bonnet is a type of habanero chilli, originally grown in the Caribbean. It adds delicious heat, sweetness and fruitiness to the cornbread.
I can’t find Scotch Bonnets, what else can I use?
If you don’t have Scotch Bonnets available in your area, feel free to use red or orange habanero chillies instead, or leave it out.
MEZCLA Brown Butter Cornbread
- Total Time: 75 Minutes
- Yield: 6 Servings
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
I’ve simply been on fire with anticipation for the new MEZCLA cookbook by Ixta Belfrage – and with good reason: this curried brown butter cornbread is a wild fusion of flavours unlike any I’ve had before! Let’s dive in!
Ingredients
- 140g unsalted butter, plus extra to serve
- 500g frozen corn kernels, defrosted and patted dry
- 150g Greek-style yoghurt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Scotch Bonnet chilli, finely chopped (optional)
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 5g fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
- 1 1/2 tsp medium curry powder
- 1 1/2 tsp finely grated lime zest
- 100g fine, quick-cook polenta
- 80g plain flour
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 6 Tbsp maple syrup, plus extra to serve
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- flaked salt, to serve
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees C. Line and grease a 20cm cake tin.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often until the butter foams and then turns a deep golden-brown. Add the corn and leave to bubble away for 4 minutes, stirring every so often. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- While the corn and butter mixture is cooling, put the yoghurt, eggs, Scotch Bonnet, spring onion, ginger, curry powder, lime zest polenta, flour, salt and 3 tablespoons of maple syrup into a food processor, but don’t blitz yet.
- Once cool, set aside 140g of the corn and butter mixture in a small bowl to use later. Add the remaining corn and butter to the food processor, then add the baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. Pulse about 3-5 times, just until the mixture comes together. Don’t overmix, you want a textured batter with small chunks of corn, not a smooth batter.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared tin, then spoon the reserved corn and butter evenly over the surface.
- Bake for 20 minutes, then evenly drizzle over the remaining 3 tablespoons of maple syrup and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown on top.
- Leave to cool for 15 minutes before releasing from the tin. If you have a blowtorch use it to char the corn in place. Drizzle over some more maple syrup (I like a lot), sprinkle with flaked salt and serve with a slab of butter alongside.
- Category: Sides
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Spanish Fusion
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 452.53kcal
- Sugar: 15.3g
- Sodium: 281.36mg
- Fat: 23.23g
- Saturated Fat: 13.11g
- Trans Fat: 0.01g
- Carbohydrates: 55.32g
- Fiber: 3.48g
- Protein: 9.93g
- Cholesterol: 115.42mg
