Rosie Makes A Cornbread Salad Trifle.

A good while back,

the Hawthornes were on a short jaunt across North Carolina

and ended up at a little diner in Robbinsville,
Lynn's Place.

At Lynn's,
we ran into this little cutie ready to ride.
This is Harley.

There are lots of bikers here traveling the nearby
Cherohala Skyway and Tail of the Dragon.
(The Dragon is 318 curves in 11 miles).

At Lynn's, I encountered
cornbread salad for the first time.
And I thought to myself,
"Self?  You can definitely do this."
 

So Rosie is making a cornbread trifle today.
It's not the same as their cornbread salad.
I think Lynn's salad,
which was made by our waitress,
had a dressing of mayo, vinegar, and sugar.
I wanted a little more flavor in my dressing
so I had to add a few touches of my own to it.
And I wanted more elements in the salad.

So I present to you
Rosie's Cornbread Trifle
 with a Buttermilk Herb Dressing.

 

Cornbread Trifle

4 cups diced cornbread, toasted

6 slices ham, diced and sautéed

1 cup cooked kidney beans

(I don't use canned beans. Don't like them.)

1 15-oz. can corn, drained

1 green pepper, diced

1 stalk celery, diced

1 small cucumber, peeled and diced

 1/2 red onion, diced

1 tomato, peeled, seeded, juiced, and diced

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Buttermilk Herb Dressing

Neatly layer all ingredients in order.

Pour 1 1/2 cups dressing over top

and refrigerate for several hours 

to allow the flavors to develop.
Save the remaining 1/2 cup of dressing
to serve with the cornbread salad.

You could use your favorite ranch dressing

or try Rosie's Buttermilk Herb Dressing.

Buttermilk Herb Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup buttermilk

2 TB cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp Kosher salt or to taste

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne

zest of 1 lime
 1 tsp chopped scallions

1 tsp chopped parsley

1 tsp chopped basil

1 tsp chopped dill
The herbs are all fresh, not dried.

Mix all together.

Cover and chill.

I'm using several types of basil

which I keep growing in a pot on the deck.

 

  Start with your favorite cornbread recipe.

I prefer to cook my cornbread in an iron skillet.

Love that crust!

Nice buttery crust.

 And you know I had to have a slice

right out of the oven with buttah on it.

 This is what I ended up with for the salad

after everybody picked over it.

 

 I toasted 4 cups of diced cornbread 

in a 300° oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

 For the ham,

the Hawthornes like Kentucky Legend

 double smoked ham, available at Food Lion.

      

 Dice and sauté the ham in butter, browning a bit.

And now we layer.

Be sure to find a pretty glass bowl

to showcase your trifle.

 Toasted cornbread for the base.

 Sautéed ham layer.

 

Next the kidney beans.

 Corn layer.

My green layer:
pepper, celery, and cucumber.

 

A red layer - red onion and tomatoes.

 

 And finally, cheese.

 One must turn this little pretty around

and admire it from all sides.

  

 I poured 1 1/2 cups of my dressing over top.

Save the rest of the dressing
for later dipping and drizzling.

You don't want to sog up the cornbread.

 Let it dribble down the sides.

 Cover and refrigerate for several hours.

 This only gets better.

 Enjoy!