Ina Garten's cornbread won me over for life

Finding the recipe

Anneta Konstantinides was cooking for Friendsgiving and turned to Ina Garten for inspiration. She found a photo of Garten's brown-butter skillet cornbread in The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.

Garten's bold claim

In the cookbook, Garten described the cornbread as the best she had ever made. That was enough to convince Konstantinides to test the recipe herself.

“the "best cornbread I've ever made!"”

The ingredients needed

The recipe serves ten to twelve people and calls for three cups of all-purpose flour, two cups of whole milk, one cup of fine cornmeal, one cup of sugar, half a pound of unsalted butter…

Making the brown butter

Konstantinides melted half a pound of unsalted butter in a ten-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat, then continued heating it until it browned, following Garten's instruction to watch it very carefully.

“"watch it very carefully!"”

Mixing wet and dry

She poured the browned butter into a bowl with milk and eggs, then whisked in the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and kosher salt in a separate bowl.

The crucial resting step

Garten's recipe calls for the batter to rest for fifteen minutes before baking. Garten said this step is essential to getting the best cornbread possible, so Konstantinides waited patiently.

Baking and results

Konstantinides poured the batter into the skillet, sprinkled it with sea salt, and baked it at three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit for thirty-five minutes. The cornbread came out golden brown and perfectly baked.

Everyone loved it

The cornbread was moist and fluffy with sweet and savory elements in perfect harmony. Everyone at the table got seconds. Her friend Oliver said it was ten out of ten and would recommend it.

“"10/10, would recommend."”

A permanent addition

Konstantinides now makes Garten's brown-butter skillet cornbread for every Thanksgiving. The cornbread remained moist even when eaten as leftovers a day or two later.