Diners at Marcus Bar & Grille in Atlanta often remark on the restaurant’s cornbread, which is served in individual cast-iron skillets. Executive chef Gary Caldwell says their version is adapted from a loaf recipe in restaurant owner Marcus Samuelsson’s “The Red Rooster Cookbook: The Story of Food and Hustle in Harlem” (HarperCollins, 2016).
If you want to duplicate the restaurant’s presentation, this recipe will make enough batter to fill six 6-inch cast-iron skillets.
Marcus Bar & Grille garnishes their cornbread with whipped butter and a bit of maple syrup. The original recipe suggests the optional addition of 2/3 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels, which the restaurant does not include.
The resulting cornbread is sweet, a little bit spicy from the Aleppo pepper, and very moist and tangy from the sour cream and buttermilk. Aleppo pepper is available at specialty spice shops and online.