Gramatically incorrect custard cornbread

(It's difficult to see, but there's a thick layer of custard right in the middle)

I sit down to record this entry, and my brain stops like a two-ton brick that’s come crashing to the ground. I find myself looking longingly into my kitchen, wondering if I possibly have the ingredients on-hand …

Creamy, dreamy custard cornbread. Slices of crumbly, salty cake filled with warm, heavenly custard. It renders butter useless and puts everything else on the table to shame. Its effect leaves me speechless, completely unable to put together sentences in a way Strunk and White would approve of (“Knife … plate … now … fast … more …”).

Thanks to one of my most dependable friends, Martha Stewart Living, I have been introduced to one of the great new loves of my life. My 30 relatives at a recent family reunion, who gorged on the stuff, have also become acquainted. And now, it’s your turn.

Custard-filled Cornbread
From Martha Stewart Living, July 2006
Serves 12-16


3 Tb unsalted butter, melted
2 c. all-purpose flour
¾ c. yellow cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
¼ cup sugar
1 ¼ tsp salt
2 c. whole milk (2% also works)
1 Tb plus 1 ½ tsp. distilled white vinegar
1 c. fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
1 c. heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9x2” round baking pan, and place in the oven to preheat. Whisk flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk eggs and butter in a large bowl. Whisk in sugar, salt, milk and vinegar. Add flour mixture, and whisk until just smooth. Stir in corn kernels.

Transfer batter to heated pan. Pour cream into center of batter; do not stir. Bake until pale golden brown and set, about 50 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Unmold (optional), and serve warm.