Basil Cornbread!

My last cornbread post was a little confusing, so this one is specific to my "famous" (anita's words) basil cornbread.


This may in fact be the best cornbread you've ever tasted.  Don't get intimidated by the recipe, its actually pretty easy.  And honestly, if you need to work off stress, stirring stuff is the best.


You can bake this in a 10 inch round cake pan, 9 by 13-inch baking pan or a 12-inch square pan.  OR, you can do what I do, and split it into 2 8-inch square pans or 9 inch pie pans, and it will go further.  Below you'll see differences between the two options. 


The Basics:
Prep time: About 30 minutes + 30 to bake
Good for leftovers: yes!
cost: about $10-$15
servings: 10-20 (depending on the size pan you use)


The ingredients:
1 cup cornmeal
1 3/4 cup flour
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
6-8 tbsp butter, divided
1-2 cups diced onions
8 ounce log of goat cheese- let it sit out so its nice and soft.
2 tbsp honey
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
3 eggs
3/4-1 cup finely chopped fresh basil.


The Process:
Put 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet, and start it heating on the stove.  Chop your onions and add them to the skillet.  Continue to let them cook while you do the rest of the prep, stirring occasionally.  (Use 2 onions if you like them a lot or if you are splitting this recipe into 2 pans).


Let the onions cook.  In a medium mixing bowl, stir together cornmeal, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Set to the side, and stir your onions.


Turn on the oven to 350 degrees F.


Put your goat cheese in a large mixing bowl.  If the cheese is not yet soft, microwave it for about 30 seconds. Whisk your cheese until fluffy.  Then add the eggs one at a time, whisking the mixture and scraping the sides of the bowl after adding each egg.  Put 2 tbsp butter in a small, microwaveable bowl and microwave for 1 minute to melt.  Add melted butter, honey, sugar, and buttermilk to the egg mixture and stir until well blended. Stir your onions.


Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the wets and mix well, then continue to add 1/3 at a time and mix until everything is wet.  A little lumpy at this point is ok.


Remove onions from heat, salt and stir and set them to the side.  They should be well caramelized by now.


Place 2 tbsp butter in your baking pan and place it in the oven.  If you are using 2 pans, each pan should have 2 tbsp butter.


Wash and chop your basil.  Try to get basil as small as possible.  Mix basil into your batter.


With good oven mitts, remove your pan(s) from the oven, and swirl the now melted butter around in the pans to cover the bottom. Don't splash yourself!


Pour batter into the hot, buttered pan(s).  Sprinkle caramelized onions over the top, place the pan(s) back in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  While mine was baking, I prepared my meat for the day and cleaned the kitchen :).


Remove from the oven and let stand for at least 15 minutes before cutting to serve.


Enjoy!


-joy


(This was inspired by/adapted from a recipe I found at smittenkitchen.com.)