Sweet Skillet Cornbread

I've been on a search for the longest time for the perfect cornbread. I like it sweet, but not too sweet. I want it to have a crumbly texture, not cake-like. I've tried various recipes over the years but none of them were quite what I was hoping for, until I tried this recipe. I made this a few weeks ago to go with the Uptown Down-Home Chili and for me, it was everything cornbread should be. Slightly sweet (from sugar and honey), crumbly texture, flavourful, moist, and best of all, it went perfectly with the chili. Oh and yes, I got to use my cast iron skillet, another bonus.

The recipe calls for whole milk, but I used skim as that's all I had. It also calls for 3/4 cup sour cream. I only had about 1/4 cup sour cream, but I had some creme fraiche in the fridge and used 1/2 cup of that. I might use all creme fraiche next time, it did add a richness to the cornbread. Lastly, the recipe calls for an 8-inch skillet. My skillet is 10-inches, which was perfect. I think there may be too much batter for an 8-inch skillet.

I'm looking forward to making this again soon, the whole family loved it and it's the perfect accompaniment to chili or stew.

Enjoy!

Sweet Skillet Cornbread
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1 1/3 cups yellow cornmeal

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 stick unsalted butter

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons honey

3/4 cup whole milk (I used skim)

3/4 cup sour cream (I ended up using 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup creme fraiche)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Whisk the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.

Cook 6 tablespoons butter in an 8-inch cast-iron skillet (I used a 10-inch skillet, 8-inches might be too small) over medium heat until browned, about 5 minutes; remove from the heat. Whisk the eggs and honey in a bowl, then whisk in the milk, sour cream and browned butter. Add to the flour mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet over medium heat until it foams. Remove from the heat and add the batter. Transfer to the oven; bake until the cornbread springs back when pressed, 20 to 30 minutes. Let cool 15 minutes in the skillet before slicing.

Serves 6-8

Source: Food Network Magazine - July 2011

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