Buttermilk

Buttermilk Cornbread

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It didn’t even occur to me to make cornbread until Brandi mentioned it as I was deciding on how to use up the buttermilk.

I’m so glad she did because I probably won’t make cornbread with out it now!

My version of cornbread could not be any simpler to make. All you have to remember is 1 because all the ingredients except for the sugar are 1 in size.  The sugar is a quarter.

Andrea’s Buttermilk Cornbread

  • 1C Cornmeal
  • 1C White Whole Wheat Flour
  • 1 Egg
  • 1C Homemade Buttermilk
  • 1TBSP Butter, Melted and cooled
  • 1tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4C Organic Cane Sugar

Preheat oven to 375 and grease an 8×8 baking dish.  In a large mixing bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, sugar, and baking powder.  Whisk until everything has combined.  In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the buttermilk, butter and egg.  Whisk until that is combined.

Slowly add the liquid to the flour mixture and gently mix until everything is incorporated.

Pour mixture into baking dish and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  About 10-15 minutes.

Allow to cool for five minutes before slicing and serving.

I told you, easy peasy!

You can make this in cast iron skillet if you have one handy.  Next time I’m going to do that, I totally forgot until after I baked this up!

I like my cornbread sweet and buttery. If you like yours savory, feel free to reduce the sugar amount or omit it entirely.

Because this is so simple, the recipe can be fiddled with to suit your tastes.

This cornbread also freezes really well!

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

 

Potato and Parsnip Parmesan Mash

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If you know me then you know my deep love for mash potatoes. Of course I couldn’t have buttermilk in the house and not make some!

I’m pretty sure that is against the Homecooking Law and I didn’t want the council to come after me.

I decided to spiff things up a bit by adding in some parsnips that needed used up along with some cheese and lemon.

Andrea’s Potato and Parsnip Parmesan Mash

  • 1 Very Large Parsnip (or 2 med sized), peeled and chunked
  • 1/2lb Golden or Russet Potatoes (about 4 med sized), peeled and chunked
  • 2TBSP Butter
  • 1/4-1/3C Buttermilk (homemade, or noncultured)
  • 1/2TBSP Lemon Zest
  • 1/4C-1/3C Grated Parmesan Cheese
  • Salt and ground black pepper

Place the potatoes and parsnip in a large pot of cold water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until the parsnip is tender.  About 15 minutes.

Drain veggies, and place back in the hot pot.  Gently stir just to remove any extra liquid.  Place potatoes and parsnips in your stand mixer bowl.

Fit stand mixer with the paddle attachement.

Add in a large pinch of salt, and a generous amount of black pepper.

Add in the butter and the buttermilk, starting with 1/4C of buttermilk.

Mix until everything is combined.  Add in more buttermilk if needed.  At this point add in the lemon zest and the parmesan cheese.  Mix until everything is well combined.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.  Serve warm!

Creamy and full of cheesy goodness!  Parsnips have a touch of a lemon flavor to me which is what inspired me to add in the zest.  Next time I’m going to add in a little bit more zest for a little more umph.

Great the first time around and even better as leftovers.  Adding an egg and creating potato pancakes out of the leftovers would taste lovely!

If you don’t have a stand mixer, a large bowl and hand mixer will work just fine.

Have fun guys, and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Buttermilk Cheddar Grits With Greens

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I have fallen in love with grits. Hard.

I used to make us polenta all the time but skipped over the grits.  One fateful day the store was out of polenta so I bought grits instead.

No biggie right, they’re basically the same?

Oh well. Lesson learned because they are not the same (though cooking them is the same), grits are creamier and smoother.  Polenta can be a little rough and grainy, and grits are having none of that.

While I don’t dislike polenta, I’m pretty sure that I’m going to be Team Grits from here on out.

Andrea’s Buttermilk Cheddar Grits with Greens

  • 1 1/2C Chicken Stock
  • 1/2C Grits
  • 1TBSP Butter
  • 1/2C Buttermilk (homemade, or uncultured buttermilk)
  • 1/2C Shredded Cheddar (get the good stuff)
  • 3C Chopped Kale (regular or baby, you pick)
  • Salt, pepper, olive oil for sauteeing (about 1/2TBSP)

In a medium sized sauce pot, add in the stock and bring to a boil.  Add in the grits, reduce heat to medium and whisk until the grits start to thicken up.  About 5 minutes.  Turn off heat, put a lid on the pot and set aside.

In a sautee pan, add in the olive oil and heat over medium heat.  Add in the greens, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sautee until the greens are wilted and cooked through.  Turn off heat.

Back to the grits, heat over low and add in the butter, buttermilk, and cheese.  Stir until everything is combined.  Add in the greens and stir again.  Heat over low for about 5 minutes to let everything come together.

Turn off heat and serve immediately.

 I highly recommend serving this with a fried egg (or two) on top.  That combo is my new favorite breakfast item.  Also my new favorite dinner item.

The greens give a nice bit of texture and bite to the otherwise super creamy grits.  The cheddar gives it a kick while the buttermilk sweetens and takes some of the bitter out of the kale.

Grits won’t ever be the same once you add in some greens.

If you’re feeding more than two people or if you really love grits, I would up the amounts of everything.

1C of grits with 3 C of stock.  Adjust greens and cheese to your tastes.

Have fun guys and remember, always play with your food!  Enjoy!

Buttermilk French Toast

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First up in my Cooking With Buttermilk Series, is Buttermilk French Toast!

French toast is quickly becoming my new favorite breakfast.  Before it was pancakes but this is starting to win my heart.

Crispy eggy bread with butter and syrup?  Yes please!

What a perfect way to use up some of that buttermilk as well, making a nice filling breakfast!

Andrea’s Buttermilk French Toast

  • 6 Slices of Whole Grain Bread, Dried out (either leave out on the counter the night before or quickly toast up in the toaster)
  • 4 eggs
  • 2/3C Homemade Buttermilk
  • 2tsp Vanilla
  • 1tsp Cinnamon
  • Pinch Brown Sugar

Heat a griddle up over medium heat and place a dollop of coconut oil on top.  In a large mixing bowl combine eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar.  Whisk until everything is blended together.

Dip in one slice of bread and place on griddle.  Depending on the size of your griddle will determine how many slices you can cook at a time.

Cook toast on each side for about 4 minutes.  Repeat with all slices of bread.

Remove and serve!

Sweet, fluffy, filling, and perfect for a lazy Sunday breakfast.

If you don’t have buttermilk you can sub in any dairy or nondairy milk of your choice (I would recommend full fat coconut milk from a can).

Using Up Buttermilk

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When I made butter not long ago, I was left with a quart of buttermilk and I was looking around for ways to use it up.

The buttermilk you get from making butter is a lot different from the buttermilk you purchase at the store.  Store bought buttermilk is usually cultured so it has that tangy sort of smell to it and has a much thicker texture to it.

The buttermilk that is leftover from making butter is a lot smoother, creamier, and has a soft sweet butter tast to it.  It’s not tangy at all and is in fact, very pleasant.

I was excited to cook with it! Take a look at all that I made!

 

Buttermilk French Toast

Buttermilk Grits

Buttermilk Scones

Buttermilk Potato and Parsnip Mash

Buttermilk Cornbread

You can do a lot with a quart of buttermilk!  Recipes coming soon!