“Stop! I think that’s enough. It’s supposed to be think and plop onto the griddle.” She adds a bit of milk and spoons the mixture onto three preheated griddles each covered with a generous layer of oil.
I must admit, I’ve never cooked Jonny-Cake either. The batter looks like an unappetizing serving of mush to me. Though mandatory as childhood winter breakfasts, those pasty portions of oatmeal or mush never much appealed to me.
Somehow, we manage to serve all the guests. We even get compliments, though I consider them nothing more than polite necessities. As always, the cooks eat last.
“Remember, these are not pancakes,” Velora warns as she pours maple syrup over my serving of Jonny-Cake. I would never mistake this misshapen mass of the lightest yellow for the elegant, thin round of a pancake.
I poke it with a fork. It is soft, still gooey inside but brown and crusty around the edge. In my mouth, the combination explodes with taste and texture. The Jonny-Cake is warm, smooth as custard, crispy as bacon. All is bathed in the limpid forest taste of maple syrup.
Here’s the Davis family recipe for Jonny-Cake.
1 cup white corn meal
about 2 cups boiling water
1/2 T salt
a little milk
a little sugar if desired
Combine corn meal and salt in a bowl. Add enough boiling water to reach the consistency of oatmeal. Add a little milk. Drop on greased griddle by tablespoons. This will make 12 Jonny-Cakes. Cook 5 or 6 minutes. Keep skillet well-greased with corn oil.
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