Preheat the oven to 425°F. Put 2 tablespoons oil or fat in the pat. Swish around so that the sides of the pan are covered. Put the pan in the oven so that it will be very hot when the cornbread batter is poured into it. Mix cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and, if you are using it, sugar in a large bowl. Add milk, egg and oil or bacon fat and mix well. Pour batter into hot pan being sure that the melted fat is evenly spread over the bottom of the pan before the batter is added. The batter should crackle and pop as it is poured into the hot pan. This is what makes the crispy crust.
The world is divided on whether or not it likes sugar in its cornbread. For example, Veta adamantly does not. Portia does sometimes. In America you can have it your way, so experiment.
When about fifteen, one of Portia’s jobs was to cook cornbread nearly every night. She was engaged in a heated debate with her stepsister Wanda when she bent down with a match to light the butane oven. The kitchen blew up burning Portia severely. Making cornbread can be a too memorable experience.
© 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003 Portia Isaacson Bass and Veta Leigh. All rights reserved.