Cornbread is not a dessert

I think title says it all. We got some as a side at a (pretty good) BBQ place in El Granada last night, by no means the worst offender (I've been places where the cornbread could literally be served as cake), but I long for the cornbread of my youth. I can make myself (Serious Eats has a good recipe), but ordering out the odds are heavily against me,
I admit at Thanksgiving I sometimes take the shortcut of corn bread/muffin mix (which is pretty sweet) with a couple tablespoons added stoneground cornmeal, but I am mixing with crumbled/torn bread for stuffing (and using copious veggies, broth, giblets) so the sweetness isn't noticeable.

I think title says it all. We got some as a side at a (pretty good) BBQ place in El Granada last night, by no means the worst offender (I've been places where the cornbread could literally be served as cake), but I long for the cornbread of my youth. I can make myself (Serious Eats has a good recipe), but ordering out the odds are heavily against me,
I admit at Thanksgiving I sometimes take the shortcut of corn bread/muffin mix (which is pretty sweet) with a couple tablespoons added stoneground cornmeal, but I am mixing with crumbled/torn bread for stuffing (and using copious veggies, broth, giblets) so the sweetness isn't noticeable.

I'm with you, Dale, but Jean and Andy want some sweetness in their cornbread. Although (as you well know) I am no Southerner, my tastes definitely run to Southern-influenced cooking (hush puppies, BBQ, smothered greens, red beans and rice).

Ina Garten has a good cornbread recipe as well. I used to keep cornbread in my freezer all the time, as hubs and I both loved it. I still have a bit of it in there to use up. I usually add a bit of sour cream, jalapeno pepper, and an extra sharp cheddar.
It pairs well with chili, soups, and some salads. I prefer mine on the moister side, not sweet, and with lots of flavor.

I'm not a fan of sweet cornbread, either. It may be a regional thing. Paul Prudhomme says in his Louisiana Cookbook that Cajuns like their cornbread sweet.

-Paul W.

I don't like sweetness in my cornbread and I don't like sugar on my grits or rice! It's bugging me that so many things now have a sweet note background to them. And, that some vegetables seem to be being bred for their sugar content (think carrots and corn). Or, perhaps, just because I'm old now and my taste buds have gone through a transformation over time I am more sensitive to some flavors more than others. But, Uck!

I can take cornbread either way. Polenta needs to be "dry", however. (...unless you want to smother it in gorgonzola...)

[Jenise]

My Bob would agree with you, Dale. Although he had quite a sweet tooth and I don't, he didn't like sweet cornbread where I actually prefer it lightly sweet and cake-y. Even then, most restaurant cornbread is way too sweet--and don't get me started on honey butter.