This cornbread from Indianola in Houston, Texas, pays homage to frontier-era Texas with its use of Hopi blue cornmeal. This heirloom variety of corn is indigenous to southeastern Texas. Throughout a menu of contemporary takes on traditional Texan dishes and ingredients, this blue cornbread prioritizes premium cornmeal that the restaurant sources specially from a local mill.
While perfect in every season, the Hopi blue cornbread shines around the holidays, when it gets doctored up with toppings that also give a nod to Texas’ roots: juicy satsuma segments, a rum-like spiced syrup, and smoky poblano peppers.
recipe 
yields
2 to 4 servings
3Ingredients
3 cups Hopi Blue cornmeal or fresh ground coarse cornmeal
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
3 1/4 cups whole milk
1 stick unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 satsuma mandarin
1/2 poblano pepper, julienned and charred
3-4 ounces crème fraiche
1 cup Steen’s cane syrup
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon mace
2 fresh bay leaves
Peels of 1 whole orange
ingredients
Hopi Blue Cornbread
Seasonal Ingredients
Spiced Steen’s Cane Syrup
steps
Cornbread
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Mix cornmeal, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl until no lumps remain.
- Melt the butter. Add eggs, milk, and buttermilk to the dry ingredients and stir just enough to combine. Add the melted butter and stir once more to combine.
- Set a cast iron pan on medium heat and add a few knobs of butter or canola oil until just sizzling. Pour in enough batter to come 2/3 of the way up the sides of the pan.
- Brown the batter for one minute on the stovetop.
- Place pan into oven and bake until set in the center and browned all over, approximately 10-18 minutes depending on the size of the skillet. Check by testing the center of the pan to see no more liquid batter remains.
- Turn out of cast iron skillet and serve warm. Top with crème fraiche, satsuma segments, charred peppers, and a generous drizzle of spiced Steen’s cane syrup.
Spiced Steen’s Cane Syrup
- Warm all ingredients in a pot on low heat until just below a simmer.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature in the pot.
- Strain off peels and bay leaves.
- Serve warm over cornbread or pancakes.
Date Published: 11.23.21
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- Created by Vincent Huynh of Indianola, Houston
