We celebrated William’s first final with a crazy, fatty, delicious “cornbread sandwich.” Paula Deen could only dream of eating a Southern supper this beautiful. For me, this is last-meal quality, dripping with pork fat, fried vegetation, cheese, buttermilk and mayonnaise.
The cornbread recipe is our favorite from The New York Times. And after the sandwiches, you’ll have a few slices left over to do as you please. (I tend to eat remnants for breakfast with fried eggs on top.)
For the sake of serving vegetables, I “stewed” (this is a Southern term for cooked to death) onion, squash and zucchini until there was neither fiber nor nutrient to be found. I generally don’t enjoy limp vegetables, but with a touch of sugar, pepper and butter these could have been nobly served on any meat-and-three buffet (i.e., they suited us just fine last tonight.)
Cornbread sandwich with fried green tomatoes, bacon and cheddar
1 recipe Brown Butter Cornbread with Farmer Cheese and Thyme
8 bacon slices
Fried green tomatoes (see ingredients below)
1 1/3 cups shredded, sharp cheddar
Mayonnaise
Aluminum foil
Fried green tomatoes
Vegetable oil
2 medium green tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup fine cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk
Sandwich instructions
Prepare corn bread and set aside (it’s easier to slice the cornbread once it has cooled a bit). Leave oven turned on to 375°.
In a large, heavy skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Place bacon strips onto paper towels to drain, reserving bacon fat in skillet. Set bacon aside.
Add enough vegetable oil to the bacon grease so it rises 1/2 inch up the skillet, and heat over medium high heat. (If you’re watching your cholesterol, you probably shouldn’t be eating this anyway, but feel free to ditch the bacon grease.) Meanwhile, combine flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, and cayenne in a shallow bowl or on a wide plate. In a medium bowl, whisk egg and buttermilk, and add tomato slices to coat.
When the oil is hot (test with a sprinkle of flour), move tomato slices to flour mixture one at a time, coating evenly. Carefully drop tomatoes into the oil and repeat with half of the slices. Cook the tomatoes until golden, turning once. Drain slices on paper towels. Repeat with second batch.
Divide cornbread into 6 triangles. Remove 4 from the skillet and reserve 2 for another use (you’ll be happy to have extra!). Place each triangle on a square sheet of aluminum foil, large enough to encase the sandwich. Gingerly split the triangle in half, as you would for a sandwich. Top the bottom of the cornbread with 3 to 4 fried tomato slices, 2 strips of bacon, and 1/3 cup cheddar; spread mayonnaise on the interior of the top half of the triangle and sandwich in all the fried goodness.
Wrap the sandwiches in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes.
Serves 4 of the happiest people in the world