Lazy Days of Summer
Lord, how long is summer going to be? I mean, I love the slow, lazy days, don’t get me wrong. But a girl can be lazy and cool, right? What good is being lazy if I can’t even think the thoughts I had set aside to think about later? My brains are addled like hot scrambled eggs, and full sentences seem to clump in the channel between my thoughts and my voice. I’ve been pointing more lately, barely talking at all. It’s just so incredibly hot.
On most days, even my necklace heats up in the fierce sunshine and burns the skin my neck…which is disturbing Lord, because you know I wear a cross. Are you not in charge of summer? Did you delegate this Hellish season to someone else? Is burning me with my own cross a long distance message from The Hot Place? Drat, it seems like all I have are questions. Addled, I tell you.
Peaches are proof that the universe still cares about hot people on earth. The frigid, glacier-like grocery store has golden mountainous alps of gorgeous, ripe peaches right now. (Yodel-ay-hee-hoo…) In the past, those whopping great big peaches were mealy, and flavorless, but no more! This year, the peach people have hit the nail on the head. Even the ugly peaches were delicious this year. (Why did we buy ugly peaches? No clue. There were plump, garnet and flesh colored nectarines right next to the rather ashen peach specimens that we selected, but luckily, the greyish peaches tasted better than they looked.)
Fresh Peach Pan de Elote is Delicious Toasted
Pan de Elote is a favorite across Latin America, and I thought the peaches would be a dreamy, rustic combination for a light summer dessert for a supper party. I asked my nephew what he thought of the Peachy Pan de Elote, and he quipped “It’s good with ice cream.” Well, yeah. What isn’t? It was delicious fresh, but taking the leftovers back home, I figured out how to nudge the pan to the next level.
The true genius of Fresh Peach Pan de Elote is toasting a split hunk of the day old cornbread on a cast iron comal, or griddle. The butter browns ever so slightly to make a classic beurre noisette (browned butter – omg my favorite flavor) before it is absorbed into the toothy crumby cake. The Honey Butter topping is just too much, which is just my style. Is there such a thing as too much butter? Jamais. Jamás. Never.
Pan de Elote is a sweet corn bread that is different than the more savory Southern corn bread we enjoy in the USA. It’s not so much a dessert as a sweet snack, but if you prefer, Pan de Elote could possibly work as a quick side bread for a salad-y ladies luncheon type of menu. Very light, but satisfying.
This one’s a keeper, but I will probably make it ahead of time, and toast it for a lazy Sunday brunch after church.
Soft skin peelers are awesome with it comes to peeling tomatoes or peaches. The pointy teeth grip the slippery peels, making it a quick task. I like Zyliss.
This recipe is a snap to whisk together. I also love my sturdy whisk.
Sweet and sour nuggets of peaches make this pan de elote very special
The finished pan de elote – the fresh version is great, but the toasted day old version is over the top!
Split a square of cornbread in half, and then place a pat of butter on top. Flip it face down onto a hot cast iron griddle and slowly toast
Fresh Peach Buttermilk Pan de Elote with Honey Butter
- Prep Time: 10 min
- Cook Time: 40 min
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 16 servings 1x
- Category: Bread
- Cuisine: Latin American
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (187 gr)
1 tbsp. baking powder (15gr)
1/4 tsp salt (1gr)
1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal (210 gr)
1/2 cup vegetable oil (125ml)
3/4 cup sugar (150gr)
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup buttermilk (240ml)
4 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into 1” cubes
Honey Butter:
1 stick butter (4oz/115gr), softened at room temperature
1/4 cup honey (57ml)
Extra butter for toasting
Instructions
Grease and flour a 9″x 13″ (33cm x 23cm) baking pan. Heat your oven to 400°F/204°C.
Using a medium mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and cornmeal. Set aside.
Place the vegetable oil and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Using a hand-held electric mixer, beat in the eggs. Add alternate spoonfuls of the dry flour mixture and the buttermilk, and continue to beat with the electric mixer, until well combined, about 2 minutes. Stir in the peaches.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden brown. Test with a toothpick for doneness. Serve warm with Honey Butter.
To make Honey Butter – Place the softened butter on a shallow plate. Pour over the honey, and mash together with a fork. Use a rubber spatula to gather the mash of butter, and transfer to a small serving bowl.
Notes
To toast the Pan de Elote, heat a cast iron griddle on the stove to a medium low temperature. Simply split a square into 2 halves, and place a pat of butter on each half. Flip the split slice face side down onto the hot griddle, and allow to toast for 3-4 minutes, until the desired level of toastiness. You can also place the square of butter directly on the griddle, and place the split slice directly on the melting butter.
Hi Melissa, this looks delicious! Did you mix by hand with a whisk or on the electric mixer? Thanks.
Hey Vicki! I think I just hand mixed it. It doesn’t really get too lumpy, and it’s not too thick.Its a quick recipe, and the peaches with the honey butter are awesome! Hope you enjoy it!! hugs
Melissa, this cornbread looks absolutely delish. I think I am going to try this for a Sunday morning brunch. So good to read about your thoughts on immigration. Believe me, we do know what it is like as we are in the valley too. Hope to see you soon!!
Thanks Becky! Hope to see you soon also. Best to the family! mg