SKILLET CORNBREAD AND CORN STICKS Makes one 9-inch bread or fourteen 5 1/2-inch sticks.
		INGREDIENTS 1 1/2      cups cornmeal, preferably white water-ground 1/2      cup all-purpose flour 1      tablespoon double-acting baking powder 1      teaspoon salt 2      eggs 1 1/2      cups buttermilk 1      tablespoon butter, melted INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt and sift them into a deep bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly with a wire whisk or fork, then add the buttermilk and mix well. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ones and, with a wooden spoon, stir them together until the batter is smooth; do not over-beat. SKILLET CORNBREAD:Place a heavy 9-inch skillet with an oven-proof handle over high heat for about 1 minute, or until the pan is very hot. Remove the pan from the heat and, with a pastry brush, quickly coat the bottom and sides of the pan with the melted butter. Immediately pour in the batter, spreading it evenly and smoothing the top with a rubber spatula. Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the cornbread begins to draw away from the edges of the skillet and the top is a rich golden brown. To un-mold and serve the bread, run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the sides. Place a heated platter upside down over the skillet and, grasping platter and skillet together firmly, quickly invert them. Rap the platter sharply on a table and the bread should slide easily out of the skittle. Cut the bread into wedge-shaped pieces and serve at once. CORN STICKS: Brush the inside surfaces of the molds in a corn-stick pan with the melted butter. Spoon the batter into the molds, dividing it evenly among them. Bake in the middle of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the corn sticks are golden brown. Turn the corn sticks out of the pan, arrange them on a heated platter and serve at once. NOTE: An interesting variation on skillet cornbread is crackling bread. It may be made in the following fashion: Place 1/4 pound of finely chopped salt pork or fat back in an ungreased 9-inch skillet with an oven-proof handle. Fry the pork over moderate heat, stirring frequently until the bits are crisp and brown and have rendered all their fat. With a slotted spoon, transfer the browned pork bits (called cracklings) to paper towels to drain; then stir them into the cornbread batter. Discard all but a thin film of fat from the skillet and heat the pan until it is very hot but not smoking. Pour in the batter, spread and smooth it with a rubber spatula and bake the bread in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Un-mold and serve the crackling bread as described in the recipe for skillet cornbread. Makes one 9-inch bread or fourteen 5 1/2-inch sticks.