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1
Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the oven to 375 F.
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2
Put the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl, and whisk to combine.
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3
In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, and milk.
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4
Add the egg mixture to the cornmeal mixture, and stir until just combined.
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5
If adding fresh corn to the batter: Husk the ears of corn, pull off the cornsilk, and cut the kernels from the cobs (see page 89); there should be about 2 cups.
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6
Stir the kernels into the batter.
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7
Warm a heavy 10-inch ovenproof pan, preferably a cast-iron skillet, over medium-high heat.
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8
(A cast-iron pan produces a crispy brown crust, but you can also use a heavy nonstick pan.)
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9
Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in the skillet, swirl to coat the pan, and add the batter.
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10
Put the pan in the oven and bake until the cornbread is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes.
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11
Remove from the oven, let cool for a few minutes, then lift the cornbread out of the pan and transfer to a cooling rack.
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12
Rub the remaining 1 tablespoon butter on top.
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13
Allow the cornbread to cool for at least 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.
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14
To make buttermilk cornbread, use 1 3/4 cups buttermilk instead of the milk.
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15
For a spicy cornbread, add chopped fresh chile peppers to the batter.
