Mush and Molasses
Ingredients
Directions
The book gives no cooking times; the times in the steps were added in transcription, so check for doneness rather than trusting the clock.
Make the mush
Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a pot.
Gradually stir in 1 cup of cornmeal, whisking to prevent lumps.
Reduce heat and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently until thickened.
Serve
Serve warm, drizzled with ½ cup of molasses.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Cornmeal
- Gelatinizes as it cooks in water, thickening the mush into a soft, porridge-like texture.
- Molasses
- Adds sweetness and a deep, rich flavor to the finished mush.
The step that matters
Adding the cornmeal gradually. Pouring cornmeal into boiling water all at once lets clumps form that are hard to break up. Stirring it in slowly while whisking disperses the starch granules evenly so the mush cooks smooth.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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