[September 07, 2011] Reader exchange: Cornbread makes great side for several dishes Tweet Sep 07, 2011 (Tulsa World - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Some dishes cry out for cornbread. Chili is one of them. Collard greens crave cornbread on the side. A hearty pot of ham and beans does, too. A reader asked for a sweet rosemary cornbread recipe. We found this one from Martha Stewart and decided to give it a try with barbecue chicken during the Labor Day weekend. It looked good because it called for oil, which usually makes a moist bread. Martha Stewart suggests cooking the bread in wooden molds. We tried making it with a regular metal loaf pan and lowering the temperature and cooking it longer to compensate. It has 5 tablespoons of sugar, so it was not incredibly sweet. It did turn out rather pretty, though. Fresh rosemary can be strong, so unless you love this particular herb, you might reduce it a little. Martha Stewart suggests eating it with cheese and olives. ROSEMARY CORNBREAD Makes two 5-inch loaves 1 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary, plus 6 sprigs for garnish (optional) 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 5 tablespoons sugar 2/3 cup low-fat buttermilk 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Put cornmeal in a large bowl. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together into cornmeal. Stir in chopped rosemary. 2. Put eggs, sugar, buttermilk, and oil in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in two batches; mix until just combined. 3. Divide batter between two 5 1/8-by-3 3/4-by-2-inch wooden molds; top each with 3 rosemary sprigs, if desired (remove before cutting). Bake until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool completely in molds on a wire rack. Pat Shaw shared this recipe with Tulsa World readers. She said it was her grandson's favorite recipe, and she made it for him when he was home from Afghanistan. It was adapted from an old Magic Chef cookbook. APPLE CRISP makes 8 servings 1 cup flour 1 cup rolled oats 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/2 cup butter or margarine 1 3/4 pounds tart apples, 1/2 inch diced (4 cups) 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1. Mix together flour, oats and sugar in large bowl. Stir in butter with fork to make a crumbly mixture. Set aside. 2. Combine apples, sugar, flour and cinnamon in 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Stir to mix well. Sprinkle topping over apple mixture. 3. Microwave 10 to 12 minutes on high or until apple mixture starts to bubble through topping. Barbara shared one of her favorite recipes for a plum dessert to enjoy during plum season. FRESH PURPLE PLUM CRUNCH Makes 4 to 6 servings 4 cups pitted and quartered fresh purple plums (or black plums). (Three cups may be used.) 4 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons flour 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon Topping: One egg, well beaten 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon mace or nutmeg 1/2 cup butter or margarine (60 percent fat or more), melted 1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut plums in half and remove seeds, then cut each half once crosswise, or more if using large plums. Place in baking dish to within 1/2 inch of top. 2. Mix together brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle over plums, stirring gently with a fork. 3. For topping: Beat egg until thick and lemon-colored. Remove whisk. Combine all dry ingredients in a strainer and sift into beaten egg. Using a table fork, mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle crumbly mixture over top of plums; do not mix in. 4. Drizzle the melted butter over the top of crumbly mixture. Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Requests Kelly requests a recipe for the bread pudding from the "Harvest Buffet" that was on Memorial Drive. It used old cinnamon rolls, twists, and doughnuts for the bread and had a lemon sauce topping that was made using frozen lemonade. Rhonda is looking for recipes for two cakes that were baked and sold at Woolworth's in downtown Tulsa in the 1950s and 1960s. One was a strawberry cake, and the other was a banana nut cake. Any help you can give her will be appreciated. Colette requests help finding a recipe for double-cooked pork cabbage recipe that they used to serve at Ming Palace when it was located at 21st Street and Yale Avenue. It had a brown spicy sauce; it was fabulous. If you have a recipe for one of our readers or a request of your own, send it to Nicole Marshall Middleton at [email protected] or 315 S. Boulder Ave., Tulsa, OK 74103. Nicole Marshall Middleton 918-581-8459 [email protected] ___ (c)2011 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at www.tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]