Live on Island Time with this Caribbean Cornbread

Being from the South, I'm no stranger to cornbread. Whether it's the Jiffy box mix I grew up on or even homemade from scratch, I've had some pretty dry, flavorless cornbread over the course of my life. 

Since The Chopping Block started offering virtual classes a few years ago, I've moderated a lot of classes in which we teach students how to make our (now famous) Green Chile Cornbread muffins. That recipe is very simple and quick to make and includes my beloved green chile. Because of my obsession with green chile, it quickly became my go-to cornbread recipe. 

But recently, I remembered a cornbread recipe that for years held that coveted spot and had somehow fallen out of favor: Caribbean Cornbread. It comes from a cookbook called At Blanchard's Table: A Trip to the Beach Cookbook.

I was lucky enough to meet Bob and Melinda Blanchard at a cookbook event at The Chopping Block's original location on Webster Avenue in Lincoln Park back in 2003. They released this cookbook full of recipes from their restaurant on the Caribbean island of Anguilla. It includes influences from their New England roots, their early years in the gourmet food business and their life in the Caribbean. They wrote the cookbook after writing their book A Trip to the Beach, the true story of the couple's adventures as they escaped civilization for island life. 

I read this book and it planted a seed in me that one day I would live on the beach. I didn't quite make it to the Caribbean, but I did eventually leave Chicago for the beautiful white sand beaches and emerald waters of Pensacola Beach, Florida. 

I remembered when I met Bob and Melinda that I wanted to just pick up and move to Anguilla and work in their restaurant. Although their cornbread is the most worn page of my cookbook, this book is full of recipes for homemade meals that are appealing and easy. Melinda was never formally trained as a chef and, considering I was attending professional culinary school when I met her, it was a nice lesson that there are many other ways to achieve your goals in life (such as Culinary Boot Camp).  

This recipe will change your opinion about cornbread forever. It's moist and rich and has more of a cake-like consistency than bread. It works well as a side (especially for gumbo) but I also enjoy a slice for breakfast. Now that I've been reunited with this recipe, I can't stop making it! I've made it recently for my book club, my workout group social and when bringing dinner to a friend's family. Everyone who has tasted has asked for the recipe, so here you go! 

Caribbean Cornbread

Scroll down for a printable recipe

Adapted from At Blanchard's Table

Serves 8

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 50 minutes - 1 hour

Total time: 65 - 75 minutes

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup cornmeal

2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs 

1 can (14.75 oz) cream-style corn

1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mild white cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. 

2. Butter and flour a 9x13 baking pan. 

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt, and set aside.

4. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar.

5. While the mixer is running, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the corn, pineapple and cheese, and mix to blend. 

Note: It will look like the batter is separating at this point, but don't worry, it will come together once the dry ingredients are added. 

6. On low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until blended well. 

7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown around the edges and a tester stuck in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes to an hour. 

In the Blanchard's cookbook, they tell this fun story with this recipe: 

"One of our loyal customers is a man named Mr. Wilson. He comes to Anguilla every year in late November and traditionally eats Thanksgiving dinner at Blanchard's. Mr. Wilson loves our corn bread and we usually pack up a small pan of it for him to take along for breakfast the next day. One year, Mr. Wilson came later than usual and missed the corn bread. We would have made him a special batch, but there was no more creamed corn to be found in Anguilla. Now, every November, four cans of creamed corn appear on our doorstep - our signal that Mr. Wilson has arrived on the island."

I bet that after you try this recipe, you'll keep some extra cans of creamed corn and crushed pineapple in your pantry just like Mr. Wilson and I do now. Not only does this corn bread go well with gumbo, but I also serve it with barbecue. Our grilling classes will be back in May, so keep an eye on the class calendar for those! 

In the meantime, you can experience other island flavors in cooking classes such as:

• Spring Break: Trip to the Keys Friday, March 24 6pm
• Virtual Trip to Hawaii Friday, April 7 6pm CST