Flax Cornbread

Of all the awesome things I did this weekend, nothing tops the foie s’more ice cream I ate [fois gras is fattened duck liver in case you were wondering…].

Friday was the epitome of a lazy day. It was the first time I had absolutely nothing going on in a long time. I spent an obscene amount of time watching Grey’s Anatomy after eating an incredibly random dinner of grilled turkey burgers over a bed of sautéed spinach topped with salsa and feta cheese. I stayed up way too late.

Saturday started with a trip to Woodlawn Coffee and Bakery, where I refrained from their amazing biscuits and gravy or a slice of quiche, and stuck with a cappuccino. Then, the dog park where I apparently left the dog leash because I can’t find it anywhere. There was family time on Saturday for lunch, a mediocre quesadilla from Q’doba. I wasn’t there for the food, only catching up with my parents. Costco is just as overwhelming as I remember it, by the way. As much as I ‘ooooh’ and ‘aahhh’ things, I never end up buying anything. It’s why I let the membership lapse. It’s unnecessary for me. Followed it up with a trip to Gartner’s Meat Market. There’s a number system like the DMV it gets so busy. I picked up jalapeño beer sausages, marinated pork short ribs, and a fat rib eye. The boutiques on Alberta were having a sidewalk sale, so I met up with friends to check things out. We left empty handed, but full of a nice Zinfindel from Bin 21, a newish wine bar. Then The Old Gold for their delicious elk burger with fontina and cherry relish, and the airport to pick up Andrew. I kind of fell asleep by 10pm. I can’t imagine why.

Sunday was much, much more mellow. A lazy morning topped off with a sausage and maple spread waffle from Flavour Spot, and Andrew’s soccer game. We had those pork short ribs, a delicious tomato salad [thanks for the tomatoes, Mom and Dad!], and a bottle of wine. I read in Townshend’s Tea House with a big mug of yerba mate, listening to young girls complain about things like drama, girlfriends, and disdain for their old hometown of San Diego. Finally, Salt and Straw. Dessert to cap off the lovely weekend. I haven’t been in forever, so half of the menu is new to me. I tried the chevre with habanero jelly [naturally], the beet infused Aquavit, and the foie s’mores. I ultimately picked a split scoop of the foie gras and the coffee and bourbon. Now, if you want to get more specific, the foie s’more was toasted foie gras marshmallows and smoked vanilla ice cream ribboned with veal chocolate sauce and hazelnut graham cracker crumble. I was warned that the ice cream was not vegetarian in the slightest. I guess they get that a lot. I love foie gras about as much as I love goat cheese, but it’s way easier and more economical to have the goat cheese. I think that’s probably why I was [and still am] so excited. This might top their brown bread stuffing flavor I became so enamored with last Thanksgiving season.

And since I have no lovely transition planned, I leave you with this cornbread. Flax cornbread. Bob’s Red Mill is here in Portland [Milwaukee if you want to get technical], and I still had half of a package of the medium grind corn meal in the freezer. Perfect for making cornbread. I ate an entire 9″ cake pan of it to myself over the last week with little to no shame. Sometimes slathered in raw honey. Sometimes in coconut peanut butter and raw honey. Sometimes tipping the pan to my mouth to eat all the crumbs. I had a container of half and half in the fridge, and used it with tablespoon of vinegar to make a buttermilk-esque substance. It worked like a charm. I tossed in the kernals from an ear of corn and a couple tablespoons of flax seeds for fun. It was only a hint of sweet from the two tablespoons of honey, but stayed remarkably moist throughout the week. It took all my willpower not to eat more than a slice at a time.

Inspiration: Bob’s Red Mill

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups medium grind cornmeal
• 1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• corn kernals from one corn cob
• 2 tablespoons flax seeds

Preparation

Grease a 9″ cake pan, and preheat the oven to 350°. In a measuring cup, mix together the half and half and vinegar.

In a bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, pastry flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the beaten egg and honey to the half and half mixture. Pour the liquids into the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined. Add the corn and flax seeds. Stir until evenly distributed.

Pour into your prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean and dry, about 25-28 minutes. Allow to cool before cutting. The longer it sits, the less crumbly it will be. Cover with saran wrap and it will last for several days.