Missing Grampa Fried Mush

1. 1

   Mix salt with cornmeal and stir in 1 cup of cold water. Set aside. Bring 2 cups of water to boil in tea kettle. In the bottom of a double boiler, heat water to boil over medium heat.

2. 2

   Pour the 2 cups of boiling water into the top of the double boiler. Slowly whisk in the cornmeal mixture. Cover with a lid, turn heat down to medium-low and steam for 25 minutes. Occasionally whisk/stir to move mush around in the pan. It will be thick, almost gelatinous. Your goal is to soften the texture of the cornmeal so that it isn't crunchy/grainy.

3. 3

   After 25 minutes, turn off heat and leave, covered, over the hot water for another half hour.

4. 4

   Tip: Stop everything you're doing! Put a couple of spoonfuls of the mush in a custard cup, pour in a splash of cold cream and a drizzle of clover honey. Nirvana!

5. 5

   Now pack the mush into molds. I have little rectangular Pyrex containers that work nicely. I've seen some people use coffee cups.If you double the recipe, you can fit the entire batch into a loaf pan. No need to grease the molds, the mush will slip right out. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.

6. 6

   The next morning, fry up the bacon over medium heat. While the bacon is cooking, remove the chilled mush from the molds and slice about 1/3 of an inch thick. Dust with flour, shaking off the excess. Place cooked bacon on paper towels. Place mush in the hot bacon fat and fry for about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove to paper towels.

7. 7

   To serve, crumble bacon over the top of the mush and drench with maple syrup or honey.

8. 8

   In my picture, I used lizaskitchen's Essential Buttermilk Syrup. Very delicious.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.