As almost any southerner will confirm, you can’t underestimate the allure of a warm, moist spoon bread. Sometimes the desire for it is downright urgent. Take my first recollection of the dish: when I was five years old, I invited one of my girlfriends to spend the night, and she woke up in the middle of the night wailing for spoon bread. My parents ended up having to take her home, as she would not be consoled. I can relate to the craving. When Hurricane Katrina forced us to evacuate to Jackson, I had the good sense to throw a pork roast in a cooler. Our first night in exile, we had dinner with our in-laws, and my mom made her spoon bread—served with the pork roast, it was a nice taste of home. My mom’s recipe, the one I grew up on (but never demanded at the home of my friends), is simple and delicious. At Bayona we couldn’t resist jazzing up her version to go alongside our grilled double-cut pork chops—a match made in heaven!
Recipe information
Yield
makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 2-quart casserole and coat it evenly with bread crumbs. Shake out the excess crumbs and set aside.
Step 2
Heat the milk and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Whisk in the cornmeal and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool.
Step 3
In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but still creamy. Beat the egg yolks into the cornmeal mixture, then fold in the egg whites, a third at a time. Fold in the cheese and pour into the casserole. Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
