Whisking Egg Whites
There is something about the fall season, and the need to pull out the crock pot and make a big bowl of soup or chili, hearty and rich, with a ton of flavor. It just seems like the right thing to prepare when you are getting ready for work in the morning and hear the Canadian Geese flying overhead, or catch a glimpse of color in the trees as you head home. It’s coming, and soon.
Autumn in New England is one of the greatest gifts on this earth. Everywhere you look the world is awash in color. My world smells different in fall. Crunchy leaves, apple crisp, bonfires, and pumpkin spice everything, from coffee to room deodorizer.
In our house, if you make chili, you serve it with sour cream, shredded cheese, hot sauce, and these cute little cornbreads that I buy from the grocery store.
Wait, WHAT? I BUY my cornbread? Well, yes, usually I do. Because it’s scary to make and its so easy to buy. I buy the good ones, you know, that the grocery store bakery people make…it’s not the same, right? No?
Cornbread Mixture
OK, I was blog-shamed into making my own cornbread.
And I learned, guess what? It wasn’t that hard after all. Now, it wasn’t buy-the-box-mix-add-eggs easy, but it wasn’t give-birth- without-an-epidural hard either. It was actually no where near as hard as the things an average person would have to deal with, and hey, if you are doing this on the weekend, in fall, it just seems right. Then you too can boast you made your own cornbread to the “ooohs” and “aaahs” of the crowd.
The hardest part of this recipe was whipping the egg whites, which, yes, I did by hand. (More blog shame) I will, moving forward, pop the whisk attachment into the Kitchen Aid and let that beast make the peaks out of those whites.
Skillet Cornbread
After combining the ingredients, whip the whites, gently fold, and pour into a prepared Cast Iron Skillet.
Oh yes, I did use a cast iron skillet. I told you, I was in for a penny in for a pound for this recipe.
Once upon a time this skillet went camping, now it lives on my baking shelves.
For such a time as this.
If you don’t own cast iron, a brownie or cake pan will work equally as well. You can also bake it in a deep dish pie plate and make glorious wedges of cornbread…and who doesn’t like fancy once in a while?
I liked the way the cast iron made a crunchier crust on the bottom of the bread, and gave it that little extra rustic feel. This was served with white chicken chili (recipe coming soon), and it just looked snazzy on the table.
As for the flavor, this recipe calls for buttermilk, and cheddar cheese, so you know there was
Cheesy Skillet Cornbread
potential for success. The separating of the eggs and the lightness of the whites, it was this light, sweet, cheesy concoction of goodness. The flip side is, cornbread has a certain hearty expectation, served with a denser soup like chili, it needs to be dense but not brownie like in consistency, and this delivered.
It was delicious with supper, and it was delicious for breakfast the next day. I served it warm with fresh butter and even my preserves got a spot at the table.
Sweet enough but not too sweet, this bread really met right in the middle in the realm of texture, density, sweetness, and flavor. It was a win.
I guess I won’t be buying the cornbread at the bakery counter at my grocery store anymore!
Cheesy Skillet Cornbread Square
I hope you enjoy this recipe, and as always, thank you for coming to the table!
Chrissy
(click below for printable recipe)
PrintCheesy Skillet Cornbread
Delicious cheese cornbread baked in a cast iron skillet for a golden brown crust. Perfect on its own or with a bowl of chili!
Ingredients
- 4 Eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 1 Cup Buttermilk
- 1 tsp Almond or Vanilla Extract
- 1 1/2 Cup Cornmeal
- 1 1/2 Cup Flour
- 3/4 Cup Melted Butter
- 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 TBSP Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350* and spray a Cast Iron Skillet with cooking spray.
- In one bowl, combine Melted Butter, Egg Yolks, Milk, and Extract of choice. Stir until combined
- Add Flour, Cornmeal, Sugar, Baking Powder, and Salt and mix.
- In a separate bowl, whip Egg Whites until stiff peaks form.
- Fold Egg Whites into Cornmeal mixture.
- Pour mixture into prepared Cast Iron Skillet.
- Bake at 350* for 25-30 minutes.