From At Blanchard’s Table, a Trip to the Beach Cookbook, by Melinda Blanchard and Robert Blanchard. I read about Melinda and Bob’s book A Trip to the Beach in a People magazine back around 2000. The book was perfect escape reading, about Melinda and Bob leaving snowy Vermont for the Caribbean island of Anguilla where they started their now-famous restaurant Blanchard’s. I loved the book and eventually Dick and I made our way to Anguilla and Blanchard’s where we met Melinda. Of course their cookbook is even better escape reading, almost as good as a trip to the Caribbean.
This cornbread is sweet, almost like a dessert cake. It is always on the Thanksgiving menu at Blanchard’s in Anguilla, and at our house too.
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
¾ cup sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ cups canned cream-style corn
½ cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or mild white Cheddar cheese
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter and flour a 9-inch square glass cake pan. (You can use a metal cake pan, but the old-fashioned glass Pyrex brand works best.) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, corn meal, baking powder and salt, and set aside. In a mixer, cream the butter and sugar. 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. On a low speed, add the dry ingredients and mix until blended well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a tester stuck in the center comes out clean, about one hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. Do not undercook the cornbread. It should be golden brown on top when done.
Go ahead and eat it all. It doesn’t keep.