A couple of years ago, my then-boyfriend and I challenged each other to see who could prepare the best stuffing for Thanksgiving. This was only a couple months into our relationship, which means he didn’t know me well enough to realize how much you can expect me to do exactly what I did. After we settled on our challenge, I went home and baked the damn bread I was going to use. This is it. Crispy-edged, moist cornbread, packed with sweet figs, salty feta, and aromatic scallions.
Fig, Feta, and Scallion Cornbread
Makes 12-16 squares
1 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 eggs
1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup dried black mission figs, chopped
3/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
3 scallions, thinly sliced
To serve: honey, high quality salted butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease an 8x8x2-inch square pan and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and cayenne. In a small bowl or measuring glass, whisk together buttermilk with eggs. Whisk in melted butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Stir in figs, feta, and scallions, stirring until just combined. Pour into prepared pan and bake until golden for 15-20 minutes, when a tester comes out clean with moist crumbles. Slice and serve warm with honey and more butter.
this is sacred space 