Durgin-Park Corn Bread

Durgin-Park was a legendary Boston restaurant that served no-frills Yankee cooking for over 180 years, and this corn bread was a fixture on every table.

The recipe is beautifully simple: eggs beaten with sugar, sifted together with flour, cornmeal, and baking powder, then enriched with melted butter and milk.

The batter comes together fast (the instructions literally say “beat up very quickly") and bakes in a hot oven until the top is golden and the inside stays moist and cakey.

It’s sweeter than Southern-style cornbread and lighter in texture, a true New England take on the classic.

Kitchen Tips

• Hot oven, buttered pan. The high heat gives you that crunchy golden crust on the edges and bottom while keeping the center tender.
• Don’t overmix the batter. A few lumps are fine. Overworking develops too much gluten and makes the bread tough.
• Serve warm with butter or alongside baked beans, clam chowder, or pot roast for a proper New England spread.