Johnny Cake Food

JOHNNY CAKES (THE BAHAMAS)

Steps:

• Mix all the dry ingredients together, then cut in the shortening. Work the mixture with your hands until the grains are about the size of rice.
• Add milk until you get a soft dough (I had to use a bit more than the recipe called for).
• Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth.
• Let the dough rest for 10 minutes, then transfer it to a greased 9x9 inch pan. You will have to press it down so it fills in all the corners. Poke the top of the dough a few times with a fork.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. You can tell the cake is done when it starts to turn a little golden around the edges.

JOHNNY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease thoroughly an 8 inch square cake pan.
• Combine cornmeal and milk. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir together the egg and milk.
• Cream shortening, and blend in sugar. Stir flour mixture and egg mixture alternately into creamed mixture alternately. Blend in cornmeal mixture.
• Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Serve hot, with maple syrup.

PA'S OLD-FASHIONED JOHNNY CAKE / CORNBREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425; grease a 13x9 pan.
• Add dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl, stir through, make a well in the center.
• In another bowl, add eggs, milk, and oil all at once; blend well.
• Add wet to dry ingredients, stir until moistened (don't over-mix or you'll be sorry!).
• Fold in optional ingredients. Sausage should be in crumbles or bite-size pieces.
• Pour into prepared pan; rap pan on counter-top several times to bounce out the air-bubbles.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes--top will be golden-brown.
• Serve with butter and maple syrup.
• OPTION #1: Add 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese.
• OPTION #2: Add 1/2 - 1 cup of sweet corn (plain kernels); adds a neat "chewy" texture to the 'cake.'
• OPTION #3: Add 6 hard-boiled, chopped eggs.
• OPTION #4: Add 1 pound fried & drained pork sausage (crumbled) or links (bite-size).
• TIME-SAVING HINT: Gather a handful of 1-quart zipper bags, fill with DRY ingredients, and store in your cupboard. At meal-time, add wet ingredients as described.

JOHNNY GRIDDLE CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together the milk, honey and egg yolks together in another medium bowl until combined. Whisk the egg whites in another medium bowl until stiff peaks form.
• Add the milk mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites, and then 2 tablespoons of the melted butter. Mix until the batter is just smooth and let rest for 10 minutes.
• Heat a large nonstick saute pan, cast-iron pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush the pan with some of the remaining melted butter. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the batter onto the pan for each johnny griddle cake. Spread the batter slightly just to even out the top using a small offset spatula. Cook until lightly golden brown on each side, about 1 minute 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve.

OLD-FASHIONED JOHNNY CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x9 inch baking pan.
• Sift cornmeal and flour together and spread thinly on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until lightly brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Raise oven temperature to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• In a large bowl, combine cornmeal mixture, salt, sugar and baking powder. Pour in shortening and milk; stir to blend.
• In a separate large bowl, beat egg white until stiff. In a third bowl, beat egg yolk then fold into egg white. Gently stir flour mixture into beaten egg. Pour into prepared baking pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until golden brown.

JOHNNY CAKES

Steps:

• Sift flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Cut in the shortening with a knife and add milk. Mix lightly and press in a pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees until light brown for about 30 minutes.

MOM'S JOHNNY CAKE

Steps:

• Mom's instructions simply say: Mix all ingredients together. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
• I remember making this in a weird little rectangular pan, which I'm sure we greased. I would estimate this to fit in an 8 or 9 inch square pan, Adjust time accordingly, as the 8 inch will make a litte thicker cake. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean--no longer--so it will stay moist.

GOLD CORN JOHNNY CAKES

Steps:

• To cook the duck, preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Season the duck legs on both sides with salt and pepper and brush with 1/4 cup of the barbecue sauce. Heat the oil in a large deep ovenproof pot over high heat until it begins to shimmer. Sear the legs on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Add the remaining 1/4 cup barbecue sauce and the chicken stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook in the oven until the meat begins to fall off the bone, about 2 hours.
• Remove the duck from the braising liquid and set aside to cool slightly. Strain the braising liquid and reserve. When the duck is cool enough to handle, shred the meat into bite-sized pieces and discard the bones.
• Combine the shredded meat with 1/2 cup of the reserved braising liquid in a sauté pan over medium heat and warm until heated through. Add the chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper.
• To make the johnny cakes, reduce the oven temperature to 300°F.
• Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl.
• Whisk the egg yolks and milk together in a medium bowl until combined. Whisk the egg whites in an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until stiff peaks form.
• Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the egg whites followed by the 2 tablespoons melted butter, mixing until the batter is just smooth. Let rest for 10 minutes.
• Heat a large nonstick sauté pan or cast-iron pan or griddle over medium-high heat. Brush with some melted butter. Spoon 2 heaping tablespoons of the batter into the pan for each johnny cake and, using a small offset spatula, spread the batter slightly to even out the tops. Cook until light golden brown on each side, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven until ready to serve. Repeat with the remaining batter, buttering the pan as needed between batches.
• Spread some of the cranberry butter over each johnny cake and mound some of the duck on top. Garnish with parsley leaves and a drizzle of the braising liquid.
• Cranberry Butter
• Combine the butter, cranberry relish, and maple syrup in a food processor and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Scrape into a bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to meld. The cranberry butter can be made 1 day in advance and stored, covered, in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before using.

JOHNNY CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat an electric griddle to 380 degrees. or place a griddle pan or large skillet over medium-high heat.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Add boiling water, and mix to combine. The batter will be thick. Using a tablespoon, drop the batter onto the griddle 2 inches apart for each johnny cake. Let cook for 6 minutes, turn and cook 5 minutes more.

JOHNNYCAKES

Steps:

• Cream the cornmeal, salt, and butter together. Add the milk and enough water to make a moist but firm batter.
• Drop by large spoonfuls onto a hot greased griddle, and flatten slightly with the back of a spoon. When brown, turn and cook the other side.