Grandma's Sweet Buttermilk Cornbread in a Pressure Cooker

There are hundreds of different cornbread recipes, and each family has their own cherished version, so you've probably been baking cornbread for years. Me too!

There was a hot pan of cornbread on our supper table almost every night… except that ours might have been cooked in the pressure cooker just as often as in the oven. It's one of the recipes that didn't make it into my cookbook. Judging from all the requests I get for about cooking cakes and bread in the pressure cooker, its time to correct that.

I learned how to cook standing on a chair beside my grandmother in her big farm kitchen. As with so many of the foods she prepared, there was no written recipe and the ingredients often varied according to what she had on hand, and cornbread was no exception.

Use a large enough insert pan to allow plenty of extra
room for your cornbread to rise.

This type of quick bread is very popular throughout the United States, and if you're like me, you have lots of good memories of eating warm, buttery cornbread with the big bowl of hot soup or beans on cold winter days. Depending on where your roots are, cornbread recipes may have a mixture of flour and cornmeal or only cornmeal, many include buttermilk, and then there's white or yellow cornmeal, and bacon drippings or butter, and the endless debate about sugar.

There's serious dispute amongst cornbread connoisseurs about the origins of sweetened, cornbread… and even if such a concoction should be called cornbread or corn-cake. Self-styled experts claim that "real" Southern style cornbread has no sugar, and that it was "them dang Northerners" that adulterated the purity of genuine cornbread with the horrid addition of sugar.

The lid transforms the insert pan into a mini oven within the
pressure cooker when it is elevated above the waterline.

Now, my family has deep Southern roots, and my crotchety old kin folks were great authorities on the local lore, the quaint old customs and the odd bits of historical trivia. "Pshaw!" grandpa Gaylord said indignantly. "We always made sweet cornbread cuz we had tons of cheap sugar. North of the Mason Dixon line, they made cornbread plain 'cause they couldn't get sugar until after the Civil War."

There you have it; sweet cornbread is indeed a fine old Southern heritage recipe, and it must be true cuz my elderlies say it's so!

The lid also protects the delicately crisp crust on the cornbread
from droplets of condensation that form as the pressure cooker
cools during the Natural Release cycle.

If I remember my grade school geography lessons, I suspect that my grandpa was right. Since the pre-civil war days, sugar cane has always been a vital crop in the South. With sugar so cheap and plentiful, naturally it would have been used in great quantities in southern kitchens, but perhaps not so much in the North where it had to be imported and shipped at some considerable expense. Sugar would have become quite scarce as the war between the North and South raged on, so it's probably unlikely that it would have been a common ingredient in Yankee-style cornbread.

Back in the 50s, my grandma would often entertain us younguns with stories about the 'olden days'. She maneuvered around her kitchen like a commanding general, brandishing her big old wooden spoon as she went about tasting, stirring, and learnin' us cookin' while dispensing lessons in life along with the colorful oral history about our family roots. Her recipes reflect many favorites of Southern cuisine, and they document a long-standing -- and insane -- love affair with sugar. Anyone who's ever sampled Southern cooking knows that vast amounts of sugar is poured into everything from Sweet Tea, to sticky barbecued foods, and its even sprinkled on corn on the cob and watermelon!

Cooked without any additional zero-pressure steaming period,
my finished cornbread has nearly doubled in height,
rising high despite cooking at 15psi.

Now that I've settled the great debate about sweet cornbread, let me show you another great cooking technique for the pressure cooker: BAKING. This recipe uses the PIP (Pan In Pot) cooking method to actually bake the cornbread. I rate this recipe for Intermediate pressure cooker users. If you are already using my PIP recipes, then you'll have no problem trying this. Okay, lets get us some cornbread cookin' in that pressure cooker!

Start by pouring the cornmeal batter into a greased metal pan that will fit inside your pressure cooker. You can also cook this recipe in a silicone baking pan, but a metal pan will give the cornbread a light, delicate crust that I really like.

Let's get on with the recipe:

Chicken à la King

I get lots of emails about pressure cookery. Questions about using frozen ingredients keep popping up, and everyone wants to know the secret of transforming frozen meats into a flavorful meal that will not only smell delicious, but look appetizing too.

The short answer is, YES, you can really cook frozen meats, although I wouldn't recommend tossing a frozen clump of meat into the pressure cooker as a matter of routine. I know, when its crunch time, busy people sometimes run out of both time and options when it comes to getting dinner on the table. I have written a comprehensive article on the website, Help! It's Frozen, which demystifies the use of frozen meats.

Today, I want to focus on a recipe for cooking frozen chicken breasts so they don't end up looking so blanched and unappetizing. The fact is, frozen meats cook up bland and tasteless without browning, so how can we add aroma, flavor and visual appeal to frozen chicken?

A suitable recipe should lots of flavor enhancing ingredients like aromatic herbs and vegetables. A colorful and well seasoned sauce, or plenty of other bright, contrasting ingredients that will make the dish look more visually appealing. While we're at it, lets make this a casserole style meal so there's less clean up work. Sounds good to me!

That's a tall order, but I have just the thing, lets use my version of an old fashioned, classic dish, Chicken à la King. Okay, lets get started... and don't forget to click of the photos here to see the BIG picture.

I'm going to use a recipe that incorporates the PIP method for the peas in a modified version of the Tiered cooking technique. These are some of the Advanced pressure cooking techniques that take advantage of the new features found in today's modern pressure cookers.

The chopped celery, bell peppers, onions and rice are stirred into a blend of hot EVOO and margarine in the pressure cooker. Stir the mixture until grains are coated and look translucent. Click the photo to see what I mean.

The recipe calls for frozen peas because they will cook slower than thawed peas and so retain their bright color. For the same reason, I'm using a Pyrex bowl because glass and ceramic dishes heat slower, but retain heat longer, than metal inserts. See this chart on my website for the Quick Guide To Heat Conduction Properties. 

These poor, icy peas look rather sad, but don't worry, they will still plump up all nice and pretty at the end. Normally the peas cook in just 3 minutes and they use the Cold Water Release to stay bright and fresh looking, so we really need to slow down the cooking process for them.

You see I'm also covering the bowl with a sheet of foil to protect the peas from direct exposure to the super heated steam. Again, the whole purpose is to delay the cooking time for the peas so they fit in with the other recipe ingredients. Otherwise, they would over-cook, loose their color, shape and texture in the 7 minutes required to cook the pearl rice. 

All the ingredients are in the pressure cooker now, and the bowl of frozen peas is safely nestled right on top of it all. Here we go; after 7 minutes of cooking and the natural release, the rice and chicken are tender, and the peas are still tender, plump and brilliantly green.

Now isn't that a pretty dish, the blanched chicken is a perfect match to the white rice and the bright colored veggies!

Miss Vickie's Chicken à la King

But its not just looks that count, is it? As soon as the lid is removed, you can smell the wonderful aroma coming from the herbs, peppers and onions. The rice has absorbed the flavoring liquids and the meat is tender and juicy, and just infused with flavor from the wine and stock. When the brilliantly colored peas and pimentos are added, we've got a dish that tastes and smells just as good as it looks. Now you know the secret to transforming tasteless, frozen chicken into a delicious, main course meal.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon margarine
4 fresh or frozen skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 1/2 pearl rice, or any short grain variety
1 green pepper, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 (2 ounce) jar pimentos, diced
1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms, either fresh button or dried ivory Portobello
1 (10 ounce) can cream of chicken or mushroom soup
2 cups frozen peas
1 teaspoon dried tarragon, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup white wine
1 (16 ounce) can chicken stock
1 cup water

Combine all ingredients except peas and the pimentos in the pressure cooker. Stir to mix. Put the frozen peas in a ceramic or glass bowl and cover securely with a sheet of aluminum foil. Center the bowl on top of the other ingredients in the pressure cooker. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 7 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid.

Remove the bowl of peas and drain off any water. Remove the chicken breasts to a cutting board and cut into bite sized pieces. Return the chicken pieces and the peas to the pressure cooker, add the diced pimentos, gently folding them into the rice mixture. Serve immediately.

Variations:

Tuna à la King is as easy as replacing the chicken with a 12 1/2-ounce can of water packed tuna.

Turkey à la King is a really good way to use leftover turkey.

Shrimp, Crab or Lobster à la King, substitute about 1/3 pound frozen seafood chunks for the chicken.



So... was this information helpful to you?

Any questions on this recipe, or the different pressure cooking techniques I used?


Please add your comments... I'd really appreciate feedback from those who try this recipe. Let me know what you think, so I can determine if I might need to tweak the recipe a little bit.

Can you see where the techniques I used here might be useful with some of your own recipes?

Savory, Herbed Three Grain Pilaf

 In my new cookbook, I use many different kinds of pressure cooking techniques that were well known in our grandma's day when nearly every household used a pressure cooker. Most of today's pressure cooker users don't know about these more advanced techniques, so I'm going to show you how to get the maximum use out of your modern pressure cooker by cooking two separate PIP recipes using the tiered cooking technique.

The first recipe is a full flavored, Savory, Herbed Three Grain Pilaf, a dish that compliments many meat entrees. So for the purposes of demonstrating the tiered cooking technique, I'm also cooking a separate dish of lentils for lunch the next day, to be used in Lentil and Arugula Salad, a very versatile recipe that works well as lunch or a light supper to beat the summertime heat.

What You'll Need

You'll note that I'm using one of the horrid, bent wire 'trivets' supplied by Fagor, a singularly useless item for most purposes, but here's one way where it actually does work well. Lay the wire trivet inside the bottom pan, or place a cooking rack over the top of it, to support the upper pan.

The bottom PIP insert pan is from Kuhn-Rikon, it has a handy wire bail to lift it out of the pressure cooker, and little punched out feet on the bottom so there is no need for a cooking rack. You will need to use a rack beneath your pan if it has a flat bottom. Without a bail, its necessary to utilize a foil Helper Handle to get your pan out of the cooker. For the top pan, any kind of small, inexpensive Stainless Steel bowl will work. The one I use here is available at Wal-Mart, Target and such.

SAVORY, HERBED THREE GRAIN PILAF

This delicious recipe has an irresistible nutty flavor that is great by itself or served as a side dish with poultry, pork, and beef. Even better, there's no tedious chopping, so if you're looking for minimal effort food after a long day, this is it.

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper

1 teaspoon bouillon powder

2 tablespoons wild rice

1/4 cup long grain brown rice

1/4 cup pearl barley

1 1/2 cups water

1/2 cup dry white wine

Pour 1 cup water into the pressure cooker. Place all the ingredients in an insert pan. To cook as a combination see the directions below, to proceed as a separate dish: Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 16 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Fluff grains with a fork, they should be tender and most of the liquid absorbed.

Cook's Note: I used that Better than Bouillon, a flavor enhancer that comes in several varieties (In my supermarket, I have seen beef, chicken, mushroom, and vegetable varieties.) According to the Superior Touch website there are also turkey, lobster, ham, chili, clam and organic, plus low sodium versions are available. One teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon base mixed with water yields the same as an 8 oz can of broth, but its much more flavorful, and its just as convenient as ordinary bouillon cubes. It is a bit salty, so I suggest holding off adding any additional salt until you've actually tasted the finished dish. This is a very tasty and convenient product that makes for a no-brainer method of preparing quick and easy dishes, so do give it a try.

Lentil and Arugula Salad

This is an easy dish with many possibilities. If you can't find arugula in your supermarket, substitute curly endive, escarole, radicchio, spinach or any combination that appeals to your taste.

1/4 cup lentils
1 1/2 cups water
Place in a small stainless steel bowl. Pour 1 cup water into the pressure cooker. To cook as the featured combination, position a trivet in the bottom pan and stack the bowl of lentils on top. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 16 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. Drain the lentils, add the prepared homemade or bottled vinaigrette salad dressing and marinade them in a covered container in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or up to 1 day, ahead of the serving time.

2 cups sliced cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 cups torn Arugula or other salad greens
1/2 cup crumbled Feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
Prepared homemade or bottled vinaigrette salad dressing
In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, tomatoes, onions, lentils and cheese. Add the vinaigrette and toss gently. Taste and adjust the seasonings before serving.

Variations:
Add a small amount of leftover cooked meat, ham, poultry or shellfish for a main course.
Add chopped hard salami, pepperoni or prosciutto, some sliced olives and marinated artichoke hearts for an antipasto style salad.

============================

When you think about all the interesting possibilities, I hope you'll try both the PIP (Pan In Pot) and the Tiered Cooking Techniques. You'll find detailed instructions on these, and much, much more in my new cookbook, Miss Vickie's Big Book of Pressure Cooker Recipes. See my website for more information about other cooking methods and all the different techniques used in pressure cookery.

Does this give you ideas about how you can incorporate the Tiered Cooking technique into your own recipes? What combinations can you put together?

I'd like to get your feedback on my new recipes to see if there's anything that I need to adjust. Please, post your comments and let me know if you try these recipes, won't you?

Nutritional Egg Custard

Well, if you've missed me, here's the thing... My appendix ruptured, I had some post-op problems and was hospitalized until just a few days ago. I am finally home and slowly recuperating, but still weak as can be, so this is just a short post.

I've been restricted to a liquid diet for nearly two weeks now -- now there's a boring meal -- but truthfully, I'm not up to anything else. Fortunately the freezer is well supplied with broth and stock, so at least I have a welcomed change from fruit juice and Jello.

In a couple of days I'll move on to "soft foods", so I thought I share my first planned meal, an easily digested, protein rich, Nutritional Egg Custard. This particular recipe was handed down from my grandmother who worked as a practical nurse after WWII, and she prepared this simple food for her patients.

As a young child, I remember helping her feed this plain custard to my ailing grandfather, a victim of Mustard Gas in WWI. Fifty years later I made it for my own father who was suffering with terminal cancer. For any of my readers who are caregivers, you may want to try this recipe if the ingredients are suitable for your loved one. This is also an excellent food for fussy or teething babies, and sick kids as well. It's well tolerated by most people with a tender mouth following dental work or braces, and those who have an upset tummy or digestion problems.

Nutritional Egg Custard

The silky texture and mild taste of this custard provides a simple, easily digested, eggy lusciousness. With only a trace of vanilla and minimum of sugar, a spoonful of this custard will slide easily across the tongue and not disturb a sensitive tummy.

2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients until smoothly blended. Pour into individual ramekins and cover tightly with foil. Pour 1/2 water in the pressure cooker and place a steamer tray on the bottom. Arrange the filled ramekins in the tray, stacking a second layer as needed. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 4 minutes. Remove from heat and use the natural release method before opening the lid. The custard may be served warn, but for the best taste and consistancy, refrigerate for several hours or until the custard is well chilled and firmly set.

While this recipe is not sweet enough to really be called a dessert, you can easily make it so by using more sugar. Depending on the sweetness desired, use 1/2 to 2/3 cup white or brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to make this into a real old-fashioned custard dessert. You can also include additional flavors like real maple syrup or molasses, and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg. Some of those little chocolate sprinkles on top wouldn't hurt...