We are in an in between weather stage here in Vancouver, it’s a little bit chilly but still feels somewhat summery. Also, we just had a nasty ass storm that knocked down trees and power lines and the city was a mess! I was fortunate not to lose power, but friends all over the city were having candle lit dinners and eating all their food before it went bad (wait..that’s a normal day for lots of us, right?).

Anyways, I wanted to take advantage of the lovely light produced by overcast skies (which I kinda miss ONLY for photography purposes, but not ready to let go of the sun!) so I decided to make a recipe a little bit on the fall side, but still with a touch of summer. This recipe was passed on by my lovely friend Glenda (yes, the good witch), who prepared it for us last week at her BBQ party. I was in love with it!! And basically tried to eat it all, but pretended to be polite and took small bites at a time.

I added the peaches, because summer, but you can definitely leave them out if you don’t have them handy. Alrighty, let’s bake some southern comfort!

Cornbread with Peaches and Bourbon Syrup (Dairy-Free)

Makes one 9-inch pan

*Note* If you have no issues with dairy, you can sub the almond milk for regular milk and the coconut oil for non-salted butter.

Ingredients:

For the cornbread:
– 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
– 1 cup all-purpose flour
– 2/3 cup sugar
– 3 teaspoons baking powder
– 1 cup almond milk
– 1 large egg
– 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted

For the peaches and syrup:
– 1/2 brown sugar
– 1/4 cup bourbon
– 4-5 medium peaches, pitted, sliced

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven at 350F
2. Place baking dish in the oven so it heats up
3. In a large bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, and baking powder. In a separate bowl mix the milk, egg, and coconut oil melted. Make a well in the bowl with the dry ingredients, and add the wet ingredients, combine well until mixed. Do not overbeat!
4. Carefully take hot dish out of the oven, and add a spoon of coconut oil (or veggie shortening) and swirl, making sure the sides get some too. Then immediately pour the batter in and bake for 20-25 min until golden brown.
5. While your cornbread is baking, make the syrup: place all ingredients in a heavy-bottom pan over medium heat, let the peaches caramelize (let them simmer and don’t touch them!). After 5 minutes, turn heat off and set aside.
6. When the cornbread comes out of the oven, score it in the centre, then pour the syrup and peaches on top.

Serve with vanilla ice cream or with extra syrup and enjoy this little piece of summer heaven.