Pableaux Johnson Cornbread Recipe

On Monday January 13th I was in the kitchen at Tamale House East in Austin prepping for my annual gumbo party when the phone rang. It was Pableaux Johnson. He was hammering down I-20 in the deep south with four gallons of gumbo in the trunk of his car.

We talked and texted frequently so a call was no surprise. But Pableaux, one of Louisiana’s most famous gumbo cooks, was seeking advice from me for his debut gumbo popup to be held shortly in Atlanta.

I’m on year 15 of my big gumbo parties so I walked him through all the moving parts, we had a few laughs and said our goodbyes. Less than two weeks later Pableaux passed away while shooting our annual Ladies of Unity second line parade.

Farewell old friend.

In Pableaux’s honor I’m publishing his cornbread recipe. If you were fortunate to dine in his home on Danneel Street in New Orleans you certainly had a few hunks of this dish. Always crown your slab with at least a quarter cup of cold cow’s butter. That’s how I always do it and I know Pableaux would approve.

INGREDIENTS

2 cups Cornmeal
4 Tbsp Unbleached flour
2 Tbsp Sugar
4 tsp Baking powder
1 tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1.5 cups Buttermilk
3-4 Tbsp Vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a heat-proof mixing bowl, thoroughly blend dry ingredients with a wire whisk or a wooden spoon. Add the eggs and the buttermilk. Stir until the mixture forms a medium-thick batter.

In a 9-inch cast iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil until it’s lightly smoking.

Swirl the oil around to coat the inside of the skillet. Then pour the hot oil into the batter and mix vigorously until the oil is thoroughly blended in.

Pour the batter into the prepared skillet.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until slightly brown on top.

slice up then go on and eat ye a good bait