Ouita Michel and Henry Bollinger, a 13-year-old Lexington boy who brought his own hoecake recipe to “The World’s First Hoecake Hoedown” earlier this summer, team up in the kitchen at Holly Hill Inn. Photo by Madylin Goins
This summer, to kick off 250Lex’s culinary month in conjunction with the city’s 250th birthday, Lexington hosted an event billed as “The World’s First Hoecake Hoedown”: a full-blown, no holds barred celebration of the beloved Appalachian cornmeal griddle cake. At that event, which featured chefs Ouita Michel (Holly Hill Co.) and Paula Endara (“Top Chef”), we met Henry Bollinger, a 13-year-old Lexington boy who brought his own hoecake recipe to the party.
With a huge passion for cooking, sustainability, and local ingredients, Henry might just be Ouita Michel’s biggest fan, having taken a huge shine to her approach to cooking when he was introduced to her cookbook “Just A Few Miles South: Timeless Recipes from Our Favorite Places.” Last month, we were able to connect Henry with Michel to cook up some hoecakes — his recipe is a slight riff of hers — side-by-side in the kitchen of Michel’s historic Midway restaurant, Holly Hill Inn.
If you’re looking to add a classic Appalachian twist to your Thanksgiving table or any family dinner, we hope you’ll consider this simple but delicious recipe. Enjoy!
Hoecakes are a versatile side dish, complementing sweet or savory dishes, sauces and toppings. Photo by Madylin Goins
Henry’s Sweet Corn Hoecakes
Ingredients:
• 1 cup self-rising Weisenberger Mills cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ tablespoon sugar
• 1 large egg (beaten)
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup sweet corn kernels
• Neutral oil for cooking
• Sorghum, whiskey butter or topping of choice
Method:
Whisk cornmeal, flour and sugar in a small bowl.
Add egg, buttermilk and sweet corn. Whisk well to combine. The mixture should be pourable. Let it rest for 10 minutes.
Heat a griddle to 350°F or place an oiled cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
Pour or ladle the batter over the heated surface and cook, flipping when the first side is golden brown and cooking the other side until brown.
Drizzle with sorghum, whiskey butter or topping of choice and enjoy.
Additional holiday recipes from Ouita Michel's kitchen:
Buttermilk Chess Pie
This Buttermilk Pie recipe was featured in "Just a Few Miles South: Timeless Recipes from Our Favorite Places" by Ouita Michel. Photo by Talitha Schroeder
Ingredients:
• 1 9-inch pie crust, blind baked *
• 3 large eggs
• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
*Use your favorite pie crust recipe, or take it easy on yourself and buy one pre-made. Blind bake refers to baking the shell, either empty or with ceramic pie weights to maintain the shape, before adding a cooked filling.
Method:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add butter, sugar, flour and salt. Then add buttermilk, vanilla, lemon juice and nutmeg (if using). Mix to combine. Pour into the cooled pie shell. Bake for 40 minutes or until the center is firm and set when lightly touched.
Cool on a wire rack before serving.
Pam’s Stuffed Mushrooms
This stuffed mushrooms recipe was a favorite family recipe that Michel’s mom, Pam Sexton, used to make. Photo by Talitha Schroeder
Ingredients:
• Button mushrooms (as many as you want to stuff)
• Fresh breadcrumbs
• Grated Swiss cheese (preferably Gruyère)
• Onion
• Fresh tarragon
• Heavy cream
• Salt & pepper
• Parmesan cheese
• Butter
Method:
Delicately wash mushrooms and remove stems.
Grate stems on cheese grater and measure the amount. Add twice that amount of fresh breadcrumbs, and an equal amount of grated cheese. (For instance, if you have one cup of grated stems, add two cups of breadcrumbs and one cup of Swiss.)
For every four cups of filling, add one tablespoon grated onion and one tablespoon fresh chopped tarragon. If it feels a little dry, add a splash of heavy cream. Season filling with salt and pepper.
Dip mushroom caps in olive oil, coating them all over and dabbing a little inside.
Stuff each with the filling, and don’t be afraid to pile it on there! Arrange on a baking sheet. Add a pat of butter to the top of each mushroom and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes at 350° F.