Mustard Cornbread Croutons–Salad Brain Basic

Salad Brain is a creativity platform.

These exercises use the platter, rather than the typical deep salad bowl, as the canvas for creation and a means to illustrate the universal process of creative thinking and design. No matter the field, the steps of creativity are the same. Here we’re using salads because we all have some experience with salad,  a low-stakes, easy medium for practicing everyday creativity. Plus, your installation will feed you beautifully and well, and shouldn’t we all be eating more salads anyway?

 We call it PLATTERAL THINKING!

For an introduction to getting in touch with your salad brain, read Welcome to Salad Brain Creativity.

Salad Brain Basics are a collection of recipes to help take your salads to the next level. They are tried and true building blocks to keep in mind whenever you’ve got a salad opportunity. Just like every great musician knows the scales.

Mustard Cornbread Croutons are just a riff on regular southern cornbread. Add a few spoonfuls of whole-seed mustard and make sure to make them in big pan so the batter is very thin. We also use a combo of regular milk and water so the cornbread has a drier texture than cornbread made with buttermilk.  Crumbled bacon is a fine addition.  We keep them in the freezer and reheat what we need in the toaster oven.  Works beautifully to restore the crispy crust.

These croutons love summer tomato salads of all kinds!

Mustard Cornbread Croutons

minmerrell Salad Brain is a creativity platform. These exercises use the platter, rather than the typical… Recipes cornbread croutons European Print This

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• Generous tablespoon bacon drippings (or oil)
• 2 cups self-rising cornmeal mix
• 3 tablespoons whole-seed mustard
• 4 to six slices cooked bacon cut into small pieces (optional)
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• Generous sprinkling of black pepper
• Water

Instructions

Heat the oven to 450 F.  Spoon the bacon drippings into a 9 x 13 baking pan. Heat the pan while the oven preheats. Combine the cornmeal mix, mustard, bacon, oil, and milk in a medium mixing bowl. Stir and add enough water to the batter so that it is creamy and pourable like pancake batter. Add black pepper as you like. Remove the baking pan from the oven and carefully pour in the batter. It will sizzle. Bake about 20 minutes or until nice and crispy around the edges and the top is lightly browned. Remove from the oven.  Loosen the cornbread from the pan and flip it out onto a rack to cool. Cut into small squares.  Keep the extras in the freezer to pull out whenever you need them. Rewarm in the toaster oven.

 

Notes

Half the recipe and bake in a 8-inch square pan or small skillet.