As almost any southerner will confirm, you can’t underestimate the allure of a warm, moist spoon bread. Sometimes the desire for it is downright urgent. Take my first recollection of the dish: when I was five years old, I invited one of my girlfriends to spend the night, and she woke up in the middle of the night wailing for spoon bread. My parents ended up having to take her home, as she would not be consoled. I can relate to the craving. When Hurricane Katrina forced us to evacuate to Jackson, I had the good sense to throw a pork roast in a cooler. Our first night in exile, we had dinner with our in-laws, and my mom made her spoon bread—served with the pork roast, it was a nice taste of home. My mom’s recipe, the one I grew up on (but never demanded at the home of my friends), is simple and delicious. At Bayona we couldn’t resist jazzing up her version to go alongside our grilled double-cut pork chops—a match made in heaven!

　　

Ingredients

makes 6 to 8 servings

　　1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, cut in small pieces, plus more for greasing the casserole

　　Dry, unseasoned bread crumbs

　　4 cups milk

　　1 cup cornmeal

　　Salt and pepper

　　4 eggs, separated

　　1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 2-quart casserole and coat it evenly with bread crumbs. Shake out the excess crumbs and set aside.

　　

Step 2

Heat the milk and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Whisk in the cornmeal and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and cool.

　　

Step 3

In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but still creamy. Beat the egg yolks into the cornmeal mixture, then fold in the egg whites, a third at a time. Fold in the cheese and pour into the casserole. Bake for 25 minutes, until lightly golden and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

　　From Crescent City Cooking by Susan Spicer Copyright (c) 2007 by Susan Spicer Published by Knopf.Susan Spicer was born in Key West, Florida, and lived in Holland until the age of seven, when her family moved to New Orleans. She has lived there ever since, and is the owner of two restaurants, Bayona and Herbsaint. This is her first cookbook.Paula Disbrowe was the former Cowgirl Chef at Hart & Hind Fitness Ranch in Rio Frio, Texas. Prior to that, she spent ten years working as a food and travel writer. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Food & Wine, and Saveur, among other major publications.