Dropped Cornbread

A scalded-meal fritter with no egg, no flour and no leavening — the cornmeal's own starch is the only thing holding it together. Everything depends on the scald.

• The hinge: use truly boiling waterThe water must be at a full rolling boil when it hits the meal, and it should be poured all at once while you stir. This gelatinizes the starch and is the only binder in the recipe; water merely hot will give you a slack batter that disintegrates in the fat.
• "Until perfectly cool"Fifteen minutes will get the mush warm rather than cool. Judge by texture instead: it should be thick enough to hold its shape on a spoon, closer to stiff polenta than batter. Thirty minutes off the heat is more realistic, and a fully cooled mush drops more cleanly.
• Which cornmealUse stone-ground or plain yellow or white cornmeal, medium grind. Self-rising cornmeal mix will change the recipe entirely, and fine degerminated meal absorbs less water — expect to add meal by the spoonful if the mush stays loose.
• "Hot fat" means 350-365F"Hot fat" -- The recipe gives neither temperature nor depth. For deep frying, two inches of oil or shortening at 350-365F works: below that the fritters soak; above it the outside colors before the inside heats through. Cook three to four minutes, turning once, and fry in small batches so the temperature holds.
• "Sweet milk"Period usage for plain fresh milk, as opposed to sour or buttermilk. Substituting a few tablespoons for some of the water gives a softer crumb and browner crust, but keep it a minority of the liquid so the scald still works.
• PortioningTwo tablespoons per fritter, pushed off a spoon with a second spoon, gives a piece about the size of a walnut. Larger drops need lower heat and longer time or the centers stay pasty.
• Yield and servingTwo cups of meal makes roughly 24 to 32 fritters at two tablespoons each, enough for four to six people. Salt them the moment they come out of the fat and serve hot alongside fish, greens or a stew — they turn leaden within the hour.